Darby Jo

Darby Jo is the founder and CEO of Oreum Arts. A Virginian by way of North Korea, he defected to South Korea in 2008 and earned a BA in journalism and Chinese from Kookmin University before relocating to the U.S. His writing and photography career spans 7 years and his work explores themes of loss, time, and the North Korean diaspora. His work has been published in The Georgia Review, Tupelo Quarterly, and the Hana Foundation's Compatriot Love.

 

Artist statement

My body of work consists of photography and original writing where I explore identity, loss, time, and home against the background of my life as a North Korean defector. 

With the mediums I work in, I am seeking to capture our realities. I have always been fascinated by how ephemeral life and time can be, and with my art I seek to capture the moments that pass us by and to hold them in place. My current photography project, as yet untitled, investigates the meanings of identity and home for members of the North Korean diaspora. 

My work has been influenced by Baek Seok, Henrik Ibsen, Osamu Dazai, Lu Xun, and Yi Sang. Baek Seok holds particular significance to me, both because of his life in North Korea and in the ways he drew from nature and his surroundings for his work. 

My vision for my artwork is to begin a conversation; to even prompt people to examine their perspectives of North Korea and defectors and to remind people of the humanity that exists in every corner of the world, including my home.