The Kyopo Project — Presentation With Artist CYJO

The Kyopo Project began in November 2004 and is comprised of photographic and textual portraits that explore the nature of Kyopo identities of first, second and third generations. The over 200 Kyopos profiled embrace a myriad of roles in their communities. They range in age from 5-90 and were raised in Brazil, Canada, China, Brazil, Denmark, France, Japan, the UK, as well as in the U.S.

The Project was created to engage the public in the new movement of the Korean Diaspora characterized by Kyopos adopting roles and professions outside of stereotypical norms and traditional expectations. Today’s Kyopos are an active presence in politics, arts and entertainment, literature, sciences and all aspects of their communities. This phenomenon is an inevitable result of Kyopos spending a longer time in their respective adopted countries and speaking the local language with command. What surfaced is a multiculturalism that’s infused in many of the participants’ embrace and the many definitions of their identities.

An exhibition of the Kyopo project will take place at the Korea Society from May through mid-August 2008.

Cindy Hwang (CYJO), Photographer
CYJO specializes in portraiture and beauty. After working many years in the fashion industry, Ms. Hwang began her photographic career after having one of her photos published in the New York Times. Her recent work focuses on capturing the collective persona of cultural diaspora and the inherent synergy produced by subjects during the documentation process. Ms. Hwang is a graduate of FIT and the University of Maryland. Her clientele includes the following: Guess Watches, Equilend, Elle International, Angelo Filomeno, Jessica Corr and others.