photo poster project | Breaking Down 'Walls of the Heart' Through Photography, a Universal Language by 김태욱 | ISSUE #144

The , hosted by cizucu, is held worldwide. By simply submitting your photos to cizucu, you can participate in the photo poster exhibition and meet fellow photographers you’ve never encountered before.

This time, we spoke with creator 김태욱, who participated in the .

Hello, my name is 김태욱 (Kim Tae-wook).
I work as a Korean medicine doctor in Busan, and in my spare time, I enjoy photography as a hobby.

I love traveling, and meditation and playing the ukulele are also some of my hobbies. As a father of twin daughters, I mainly take photos of my children, landscapes from my travels, and street snapshots.
When I capture an unplanned shot that turns out unexpectedly well, I can’t help but feel moved myself. ^^

It’s been about 20 years since I started taking photos. Over the years, I’ve compiled photos from my travels into several photo books. I’ve always felt that the act of “printing and savoring” photos brings a special joy and sense of accomplishment.

That’s when I happened to learn about the . Although I hesitated at first because I’d have to travel from Busan to Seoul, the thought lingered in my mind for days...

Listening to my honest feelings of wanting to participate, I mustered the courage and decided to join.

Seeing my photos printed and displayed at the exhibition was incredibly rewarding. The exhibition also featured amazing works by other creators, and the sight of all those photos together was beautiful and fulfilling.

It was enjoyable to discover new perspectives and themes through others’ works. Talking with other creators about their pieces revealed “points only photography enthusiasts would understand,” which was fascinating and made for an engaging time.

Although I couldn’t stay long since I was with my children and family, I managed to connect with several creators during the short time I was there, and we’ve continued interacting on social media after the exhibition.
The experience gave me a sense of my world expanding, which was one of the biggest takeaways from this exhibition.

It was a scene I encountered while traveling alone in Hong Kong, on my way to the subway station at the end of the day.
To me, it looked like a “magic taxi” waiting under the starlight, and I felt as if I had wandered into a fantasy.

I believe photography is an expression born from the collaboration of the left and right brain. Children are great at taking photos because they rely on the intuition of their right brain.

In my mind, there’s always this conversation happening:
Right brain: “Wow, this moment is so beautiful! I want to capture it!”
Left brain: “Hold on. Let me adjust the aperture, shutter speed, composition... and exposure for you.”

When both the left and right brain agree, “This is it,” I press the shutter.
That one shot gives me the satisfaction of knowing there’s no better solution.

Every time I look at this photo of the Hong Kong taxi, I’m reminded of the fulfillment I felt at that moment, and I can’t help but smile.
I wanted to share that smile with someone else. That’s why I chose this photo as my exhibit piece.

The is a wonderful initiative born in Japan, but I participated in the Korean exhibition with a photo I took in Hong Kong.

There’s a lyric from a song by the artist (Blue Sky) that says:
“When all the walls in our hearts crumble.”
I love that line.

Whether in Japan, Hong Kong, or Korea, I believe gatherings that break down walls are better than those that build them.

The fosters an atmosphere where people can respect, appreciate, and connect with each other through a single photo. It feels like a project that values warm, human connections, sharing “messages of love” through photography.

If you love photography, I’m sure participating will be a wonderful experience for you.