About — vakdongkyun

Dongkyun Vak is a Seoul-based image producer and photographer whose work explores the relationship between form and function through photography and visual media. Drawing on science and technology studies, actor-network theory, clinical medicine, and morphology, he treats the morphogenetic structure of objects as a key to understanding contemporary visual environments. Vak translates objects into images according to the modernist architectural principle “form follows function,” uncovering the technical, social, and symbolic narratives embedded within their design.

Originally trained in painting at the Korea National University of Arts, he turned to photography while studying in France, drawn to its mobility and ability to realistically depict subjects. In addition to photography, he employs 3D modeling, data visualization, and video to reconstruct technologically-generated objects and environments. For Vak, objects are black boxes—dense with meaning and shaped by complex systems. His practice aims to open these boxes and visualize their layered stories.

Since launching his career with the 2019 solo exhibition Universal Universe, Vak has presented major series including Symptoms, TM2.0, and Heatwave. His project Heatwave received the international photography prize A New Gaze 3 and was exhibited in Zurich. In 2024, he presented Heatwave again in Turin. He currently runs an image production studio, working across the boundaries of commercial and artistic photography while researching contemporary imaging protocols.