Daesung Lee on his series, nirvana
In 2024, Paris and Korea-based photographer Daesung Lee started taking photos of his mom on his trips back to his hometown in Korea. Dressed in bright red and decorated with twinkling sea creatures, Lee and his mom created the series, Nirvana: a work that looks at the many lives his mom has lived. Through these joyful compositions that see his mom, dad, and other folks of their generation play with the motifs and colors of the country, Lee creates a body of work that reflects on Korea’s history while, ‘moving forward to the next stage of life.’
photographer Daesung Lee works with his mom to take photos of her in his hometown in Korea | all photos © Daesung Lee
his mom as a creative collaborator
After over a decade in France, in 2024, Lee had started returning to Korea for longer periods of time. He had the idea to document these moments he shared with his family, and after many discussions with his mother about her life, she became his creative collaborator. Of course, photography was just the medium—he emphasizes that the intention for Nirvana was to create ‘a shared memory’ through the process of creation. ‘I wanted us to create something that, even when the time comes for us to say goodbye someday, we could look back on with a smile,’ Lee tells designboom. ‘Because of that, I didn’t want to approach the project in a serious or solemn way. Instead, I thought of it as a kind of play that we could enjoy together.’
His mom is a natural model. With a nonchalant ease, she flies through the stars, poses in her garden, and lets comically long legs dangle from the roof. On getting comfortable in front of the camera, Lee talks about how their playful approach shines through the lens. ‘For us, the process was more important than the final result, so standing in front of the camera never felt like a burden. It was much like children playing dress-up—free, imaginative, and full of joy.’
Lee’s mom shining with her many arms, referencing a Buddhist figure
How Lee photographs his stars
There are several photos in which Lee’s parents, dressed in red with stars adorning their chests, soar through a twinkling night sky. ‘These photographs were taken from the rooftop of my parents’ house, looking down onto the front yard,’ he remarks, explaining how he managed to send his parents through the cosmos. ‘My parents were actually lying on the ground while posing for the images. They live in a small coastal village. Several months before the shoot, I asked them to speak with local fishermen and collect the starfish that became caught in their fishing nets. Once we had gathered enough, we spread a large black backdrop across the front yard and carefully arranged the starfish so that they resembled stars scattered across the night sky.’
There are stars in his skies, but they also appear on house slippers, sweaters, and gourds. ‘The star motif carries another layer of meaning. Women of my mother’s generation were rarely recognized or celebrated within Korean society, yet they quietly fulfilled the roles and sacrifices expected of them. Through the image of the star, I wanted to suggest that they are the ones who truly deserve to be seen and acknowledged.’
living in a small coastal village, Lee’s parents collected starfish from fisherman to create these images
Choosing red thermal underwear
These red garments that appear throughout the series—long underwear, shirts, and sweaters—give Lee’s characters a distinct power. ‘After experiencing Japanese colonial rule and the Korean War, South Korea was left devastated and impoverished. My mother belongs to the generation that was born during that difficult period.’ He notes that an important part of this project was illustrating the enduring strength of Korean women, overcoming their historical and societal circumstances.
Although he underscores the deeply rooted context of the project, his photos speak with a contemporary ease as he often sees Nirvana’s subjects through the lens of joy and play. ‘In East Asian culture, the color red is traditionally believed to bring prosperity and good fortune. During the 1960s and 1970s in Korea, there was a custom in which a child’s first salary from their first job would be used to buy a set of red thermal underwear for their parents as a gift. I drew inspiration from the memory of mothers wearing these bright red long underwear around the house during the winter.’ By combining symbols of strength, tender memories, and cultural motifs, Lee creates a new kind of historical record of his mother’s life.
an important part of this project was illustrating the enduring strength of Korean women, overcoming their historical and societal circumstances
Lee’s Mother and Nirvana
‘I grew up watching my mother endure a difficult and demanding life. Although her life was undoubtedly full of hardship, I do not believe that we should carry that burden on our shoulders forever,’ reflects Lee on the title of the series, which references the Buddhist concepts of being liberated from the cycle of rebirth. ‘Rather, I believe that transforming those difficult experiences into something positive through creative acts, and moving forward to the next stage of life, gives them a deeper meaning.’
As a photographer, he often had to deal with very heavy themes in the work produced throughout his professional career. In addition to speaking about his country’s history, he mentioned that he had worked on topics like climate change and the Bosnian War. Although his mother’s history is no less heavy, he notes where this shift in approach came from. ‘Over time, I found myself emotionally exhausted from constantly engaging with such serious themes. I wanted to approach a subject in a lighter and different way.’