House of Remnants - New Project at Ulsan Art Fair
Last month, I ventured into a new direction, creating a body of work that departs slightly from my usual approach. Centered on a neighborhood in Seoul undergoing transformation, the project began as a photographic exploration but gradually evolved into something more immersive. The result is a new series that I had the pleasure of exhibiting at the Ulsan Art Fair. Here is a presentation
In central Seoul, a neighborhood disappears. Bogwang-dong, once filled with daily activity, is now marked by empty homes, abandoned rooms, and traces of lives once lived. This photographic series documents both the physical demolition and the subtle marks left behind.
Through black-and-white images and recovered materials, the work reflects on what it means for a city to dismantle its past in pursuit of progress. Each photograph acts as an afterimage (잔영) — a trace of something gone, yet still present.
These images will later be transferred onto debris collected from the site — wood, glass, tile — forming objects that carry both visual and physical remnants of the place.
In a city constantly rebuilding, the project asks: what is left behind when everything changes?
The presence of Seoul’s past may not always be visible, but it lingers — in the spaces, the silence, and the structures that once held life.
The project was displayed at the Ulan Art Fair in 2025
Unperson exhibition in Daejeon South Korea
My series “ Unperson - Portraits of North Korean Defectors “ is part of the first edition of the Daejeon International Photo Festival. 9 portraits of defectors as well as landscapes from North Korea and the escape routes have been exhibited in the Art Center of the city for two weeks. Here some of the documentation of the exhibition.
Unperson exhibition in Cortona
This summer and despite the pandemic, I was lucky enough to travel to Italy for the opening of my Unperson exhibition in Cortona. The organizers, including Arianna Rinaldo, made amazing work at displaying my work in an old villa in the center of town. All the other exhibitions were also great and will be on until the end of September. If you are traveling in the region, go and check it out!
The book unperson is available here . Please contact me at timfranco@gmail.com for any information.
Illicit Ink Exhibition in Dresden
My series Illicit Ink was selected for the Hellerau Photography Award and I had the pleasure to be present for the opening of the exhibition at the Dresden Technical Museum last month. Here are a few snapshots from the exhibition.
Tim Franco’s work and prints are available for exhibition and sale - please get in touch : timfranco@gmail.com
Illicit Ink at KLPA | Korea Photographer
My series Illicit Ink will be exhibited as part of the Kuala Lumpur Portrait Awards and one of the photograph from the series was selected for the poster of the exhibition. Illicit ink is a series of intimate portraits of the underground tattooist community in South Korea shot on paper negatives.
The photos will be exhibited as part of a group exhibition from the 14th of september to the 27th at the ILHAM gallery in Kuala Lumpur.
Metamorpolis exhibition in Nantes
The Metamorpolis series is currently exhibited in Nantes at le Passage Saintes Croix until the 21st of november. It is the biggest and I have to say, nicest exhibition produce so far on this project and I was thrilled to be part of the opening event. Here is a few photos of the space .
Please don't hesitate to contact me directly if you have any question about the exhibition or the project or if you are interested to get the book please go to http://www.metamorpolis.com to purchase a copy !
Metamorpolis Exhibition in Paris
During the summer of 2017, a collection of photos from my Metamorpolis project are exhibited at the "Maison de la Chine" in downtown Paris. The venue has a Chinese Tea House which includes exhibitions year around. Here are few phone photos of the exhibition.
The exhibition will be displayed until the end of august. For inquiries please contact me directly : tim@propagandastudio.asia
Exhibition at the Finnish Museum of Photography
Metamorpolis is exhibited this month as part of the PVF festival in Finland. I have the great pleasure to have 10 photos in the Museum of Photography of Helsinki along side many great artists and photographers. The cover photo of Metamorpolis has also been used as the main marketing material for the festival poster.
The exhibition is ongoing for the next three month ! Please don't hesitate to pay a visit if you are around ! More information here : http://www.valokuvataiteenmuseo.fi/en/nayttelyt/nyt/event/72/253---poliittisen-valokuvan-festivaali-2017-ruoka
Outdoor Exhibition in Paris | China Photographer
My work from Metamorpolis was selected by the jury of the Circulation(s) festival this year. It was a great honour , not only to be part of a great group of artist exhibiting at the incredible 104 SPACE in Paris but also to have a special exhibition of 28 photographs at an amazing outdoor location in downtown Paris - Gare de l'Est. The photos will be exhibited until the end of February.
All the photos from this series are available for prints and magazines through Institute. Please contact me directly for other details at timfranco@gmail.com .
Exhibition | Musee d'Art Contemporain de Bordeaux
From june to october 2016, I have the chance to be exhibited among great photographers and artists at the Musee d'Art Contemporain de Bordeaux for the Arc en Reve Architecture and Urban Space of the future exhibition. Here are some photos
Those photos are part of my metamorpolis project and are available in my book on purchase. Please don't hesitate to contact me for exhibition opportunity.
Luxury Brand & Exhibition photographer for Louis Vuitton in Asia
In the past few weeks I was commissioned through Actu Asia & Propaganda Studio to document & Photograph the Louis Vuitton Series 2 in Beijing China & Seoul, South Korea. It was a really good experience working in those great cities on the same project. On top of photographing the spaces, I ve documented the visit from celebrities such as Jennifer Connely, Fang Bing Bing, Tang Yan in China, Doona Bae or Clauda Kim in South Korea.
Kim Soo-hyun
Tang Yan
Tang Yan
Soo Young Choi of Girl's Generation
Tang Yan
Fan BingBing
Vip Guest
Jennifer Connely
Tim Franco is a Seoul & China based photographer available for commercial assignment