November 2025
Yeondoo Jung Presents Jung Yeondoo: Building Dreams at Peabody Essex Museum, USA
Yeondoo Jung presents his solo exhibition Jung Yeondoo: Building Dreams at the Jeffrey P. Beale Gallery of the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, MA, USA. Working across various media including photography, video, and sculpture, Jung explores the possibilities for connection amid the anonymity of contemporary urban life. The exhibition features two of his major multipart photographic works: Evergreen Tower (2001) and Bewitched (2001–ongoing).
Upon finishing his studies in London in the early 2000s, Jung returned to Seoul and began exploring the city and its everyday life from a new perspective. He was particularly drawn to the high-rise apartment complexes that define the cityscape—an environment that offers convenience while simultaneously fostering anonymity and isolation. By carefully observing the strangers one might pass in an elevator or on a crowded street, Jung found material for his work in the overlooked stories and unseen possibilities within daily life. Through the medium of photography, he seeks to uncover narratives that lie beneath the surface and to envision the possible futures they imagine.
Evergreen Tower, presented in this exhibition, is a series of family portraits photographed inside the living rooms of 32 households within a single apartment complex in Seoul. As the units share nearly identical floor plans, each home reveals a unique arrangement of daily life, highlighting both the shared structures and the distinct identities of urban households. Meanwhile, Bewitched features individuals around the world, capturing their present lives and imagined futures staged side by side. Ordinary families and individuals collaborate with Jung to express themselves as they are, while also envisioning who they dream of becoming, creating a space where reality and desire intersect. Moving beyond traditional portraiture to visualize the imagined worlds co-created with his participants, Jung transforms personal dreams into staged realities. Bringing together depictions of daily life with the inner wishes of families and individuals, Jung Yeondoo: Building Dreams remains on view through January 25, 2026.
Upon finishing his studies in London in the early 2000s, Jung returned to Seoul and began exploring the city and its everyday life from a new perspective. He was particularly drawn to the high-rise apartment complexes that define the cityscape—an environment that offers convenience while simultaneously fostering anonymity and isolation. By carefully observing the strangers one might pass in an elevator or on a crowded street, Jung found material for his work in the overlooked stories and unseen possibilities within daily life. Through the medium of photography, he seeks to uncover narratives that lie beneath the surface and to envision the possible futures they imagine.
Evergreen Tower, presented in this exhibition, is a series of family portraits photographed inside the living rooms of 32 households within a single apartment complex in Seoul. As the units share nearly identical floor plans, each home reveals a unique arrangement of daily life, highlighting both the shared structures and the distinct identities of urban households. Meanwhile, Bewitched features individuals around the world, capturing their present lives and imagined futures staged side by side. Ordinary families and individuals collaborate with Jung to express themselves as they are, while also envisioning who they dream of becoming, creating a space where reality and desire intersect. Moving beyond traditional portraiture to visualize the imagined worlds co-created with his participants, Jung transforms personal dreams into staged realities. Bringing together depictions of daily life with the inner wishes of families and individuals, Jung Yeondoo: Building Dreams remains on view through January 25, 2026.
