Commemorative Group Photographs and the Everyday Visual Practices of the Korean Diaspora

This thesis explores the transnational visuality of a Korean everyday photographic practice of ginyeumsajin, translated as ‘commemorative photographs.’ Through examination of various cultural and visual modalities, this thesis argues for the employment of ginyeumsajin as a visual language that facilitates the Korean diaspora to negotiate their position: between the past and present (time) and between origin and host country (land). Chapter One attends to the organizational group portraits of the Young Korean Academy in Los Angeles to examine the ways in which ginyeumsajin, as visual representations of collectivity, served as a means of resistance during colonial rule. Chapter Two examines Korean souvenir photographs of landmarks that provide a point of departure for the artistic practice of Korean Canadian artist Jin-me Yoon; it draws a parallel between the corporeal relationship between the Korean land and the Canadian land to observe the ways that Korean everyday visual practice influence diasporic artistic practice.