Rala Choi, photographer: “There is always time to find who we are or who we want to be”

“When I was 20, I really wanted to talk, express myself, but I didn't.

I preferred to hide my poverty rather than talk about it.

In 2017, I thought there must be people in the same situation as me and I posted this photo on my Instagram account.

That's how I started working on the People's Back series for my personal creations.

The woman in the photo was a modern dancer at the time of the shot, about to quit her job.

Her parents had sent her, despite their great poverty, to the best modern dance school in Korea and for that they had to work even harder.

Their daughter felt "abandoned" during her four years of study, but she went all the way."

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Lady in red dress, People's Back series by Rala Choi, 2017. Rala Choi

“As you know, dancers, from an early age, have only one obsession: to succeed, even without being the main dancer – which is very difficult.

This woman was constantly evaluated by others.

When she was alone, she seemed to suffocate in relative beauty and self-criticism.

I was fascinated by his story.

She disliked dancing and eventually gave up her dancing career.

It means that there is always time to find who you are or who you want to be, and that gives me a lot of hope.

When the time comes to let go of the obsession to which we are clinging, we must let go without hesitation.

For the photo, I chose red, the color she inspired me.

I added a blue hat,

which represents something to let go.

And we don't see the expression on his face."

In video, the 37th Hyères fashion, photography and accessories festival

Photo laureate of the 2022 Hyères Festival, Rala Choi exhibits from January 13 to February 25 at the Sheriff Gallery, 53 rue de Turenne, 75003 Paris, as part of the Kitten & Sheriff Projects endowment.