Jung Yeondoo hardly needs to ask the question that hangs over his 2001 series of photographs“Evergreen Tower” like the casted rays of sun off a high-rise apartment building, yet he still dares to ask viewers, “What is your dream?”
The question lingers as you peer into the lives of families in Seoul, South Korea, all connected under a shared roof but with dreams that differ from those of their next-door neighbors. Curators Stephanie Hueon Tung and Jiyeon Kim paired this collection with the artist’s ongoing series “BeWitched,” which he started in 2001 to bring these dreams to life in an alternate universe not too distant from our own.
On view through January 25, 2026, the Peabody Essex Museum is presenting Yeondoo’s voyeuristic collection of photographs as vignettes of generations staring down the camera like the barrel of a gun, and as an imaginative project that transports civilians into their dream lives.
Much of Yeondoo’s work focuses on observing people around us — their movements, their clothing and the things that define them. The artist presents stories that are accessible, with his preference of subject often being the only thing in frame. The introductory text on the wall of the Jeffrey P. Beale gallery tells you what to expect before viewing the collections: “[Yeondoo] observed that the comforts of urban, middle-class life had also produced a sense of anonymity and isolation amongst his neighbors.” Of course, like human nature, there’s always more to uncover as you explore the artist’s contemporary photos; from the layered intentionality to the hyper-realistic transportation that reveals a person’s true nature and what makes them feel connected to their future self.