Common Kingfisher (2010)

AHAE Subscription Program

Day and night, Ahae photographed continuously the nature scenes right outside his window. He captured unseen and unnoticed moments in the natural world in its simple and true state. Capturing these everyday moments, he created fine art. And through this process, Ahae showed what art photography can be – photographic artworks can come from the ordinary presented in its natural state.

Ahae made art and nature accessible through his work, allowing people to connect with the subject matter (nature) with ease through the simplicity and understandability of his artwork.

Within Ahae’s photography also lies a simple message – to care for the natural world around us. In his youth, Ahae saw many beautiful parts of Korea destroyed as the country rapidly industrialized. As a result, he developed a deep desire to preserve the country’s natural surroundings. Throughout his life and especially during the years prior to his death in 2014, Ahae supported the preservation and protection of various lands and habitats within Korea. Ahae’s photography project can be seen as an extension and artistic expression of these efforts and activities.

The Ahae Subscription Program continues Ahae’s artistic legacy and hopes to bring his art and its subject even closer to people. Through this program, people have access to Ahae’s photographic images to enjoy them in their lives: they can select images to create prints and products, each customized to their individual tastes. Our hope is to allow people to bring Ahae’s art and its message into their everyday lives.