Soul of the Sea

The 9th Busan International Photo Festival (BIPF) in 2025 presents its first-ever open call special exhibition, Soul of the Sea. The exhibition aims to lower the barrier to art and offer more opportunities to emerging artists and foreign photographers. As the term “open”suggests, it provides an inclusive platform for artists to express and interpret the sea in their own unique ways. The exhibition theme is in line with the theme of the BIPF this year, Honbul, and it is significant in that the exhibit artistically reconstructs and recontextualizes the placeness and atmosphere of Busan, a maritime city. The sea that is captured by photographers from diverse cultural backgrounds carries layered questions and interpretations. The artists’ collective perspectives rise before the audience like a great wave.

The Sea as a Medium of Existence

The sea has always been by our side, but it has never approached us in the same way. It constantly circulates according to the season, time, light, and wind, revealing a new face every time. The ever-changing sea is also a symbol of the essence of nature.The participating artists delicately captured the boundless expanse beyond the horizon, the breath of calm and turbulent waves, and the traces left by wind and currents. They delve into the temporality, vitality, and relationship of the sea and face the sea with an attitude of listening to the unique rhythm of nature. Such sensitivity and respect permeate the photographs, and through the works, we encounter the deep and fundamental vitality of the sea.

Responsive Coexistence between the Sea and Humans

The sea has always coexisted with humans. It was the cradle of civilization and a foundation for survival, but also an awe-inspiring boundary. In the exhibited works, the sea emerges as a stage where joy and sorrow, hope and loss intertwine. Laughter of families and friends on the, the toil of fishing, seaside markets, shipyards of steel structures, and ritualistic scenes—all these show traces of the complex relationship between people and the sea. Photographer have captured the world before them with sensitivity, and the resulting images vividly depict emotions and memories that were accumulated over time as well as scenes from daily life. Through these works, Soul of the Seaexamines the intertwined trajectories of humans and the ocean in which each has reflected and shaped the other.

Ecological and Ethical Perspective

The sea is the origin of life and the habitat of countless creatures on Earth. It is essential for climate control and ecosystem maintenance, but it is currently facing a severe crisis due to indiscriminate development, pollution, and rising sea levels. Alongside many works celebrating the beauty of the sea, this exhibition also reveals the perilous realities that lie beneath the surface. Through this, we aim to raise awareness that we should not view the ocean merely as an object of appreciation but also as a living entity that we must protect and coexist with. The photographs vividly reveal the desperate situation currently the marine ecosystem faces, showing images of harbor development, coastal reclamation, marine debris, murky waters, and disappearing habitats. The ocean is no longer just a background. The perception of the sea as a being with vitality allows us to confront the cycle and harmony of the marine ecosystem, and its precarious reality.

The Sea as a Mirror of Inquiry

The sea, which keeps moving yet remains silent, compels us to reflect on the origins of life and the essence of being. The photographers approach the sea as a space for contemplation, layering their interpretations with time, emotion, and memory. Within their images, we encounter layered realms where life and death, creation and disappearance, presence and absence converge. Following the artists’gaze, we are drawn into a borderless world where the sea reflects the depths of the human condition. The sea becomes a mirror that reflects our inner questions. This current of sensation and thought begins with a gaze toward the sea and flows back into another inquiry about our life.

The Beginning of an Artistic Voyage

Soul of the Sea aims to expand the ocean beyond a part of nature, transforming it into a space that reflects our inner worlds and emotions in this era through art. This perfectly aligns with the artistic direction pursued by the BIPF. At this maritime city of Busan, the BIPF will continue its deeper and broader artistic voyage. We look forward to opening up wider horizons of art together with you on this journey.