Argus Paul Estabrook LOSING FACE

“In South Korean society, the damage of having one’s identity lost to shame is so ruinous that it can completely destroy a person’s social standing and authority,” writes photographer Argus Paul Estabrook about his black-and-white series, “Losing Face.” But it does happen, even to the highest-ranking authorities, and in the case of the country’s 11th president, Park Geun-hye, charges of extortion and influence peddling in October 2016 led to protests that demanded she be impeached. In March 2017, she was formally removed from office after a unanimous ruling by the Constitutional Court.

Estabrook, an American who was born in South Korea, heard about the protests early on and says he knew he had to be there to capture the fallout. “What I witnessed while shooting around Gwanghwamun was an overwhelming desire for change,” he says. Sometimes numbering in the millions, the protests showed the world that change can be achieved through peaceful means. “It was an incredible historic feat, and something I’ll never forget.”

The five-month project taught him how to handle the challenge of endurance and, he says, “go with the flow” by syncing his energy with the protesters around him. His images convey energy and intensity amongst the protestors, as well as quiet reflections on the fall of a once-revered leader. The profound power of unity and perseverance during the protests, Estabrook adds, “became a reallife lesson on how to catch a feeling and stay with it until it’s time to let it go.”

—Amy Touchette

Photos © Argus Paul Estabrook arguspaul.com