White Silence

• Prize
  Honorable Mention
• Photographer
  Kwak Poung Young, Korea, Republic of
• Date of Photograph
  2024
• Studio
  Candybookns
• Website
  https://artspoon.io/showcase/poungyoung
• Instagram
  @poung_young

White Silence captures glaciers in Iceland as they fragment and drift away under accelerating climate change. Seen from an aerial perspective, the ice appears as abstract forms on dark water, stripped of monumentality and scale. Each fragment holds compressed geological time while moving toward irreversible loss. Avoiding spectacle or accusation, the work observes disappearance as a quiet process shaped by human activity, inviting reflection on responsibility, time, and the often unseen consequences of environmental change.

Alongside his artistic practice, Kwak serves as the director of Art and Culture Korea, an international
arts exchange organization. Since 2018, he has organized cultural exchange programs and international
photography exhibitions throughout Europe and Asia, encouraging dialogue between Korean photographers
and artists from around the world. Through both his creative and curatorial work, Kwak continues to
position photography as a medium for global exchange and environmental reflection.

Awards 1839 Awards, Professional Aerial Silver (2025)
IPA Honorable Mention (2025)
JDFF Genre Award, 3rd Place (2022)
Korea Future Culture Contribution Award (2021)