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Driven by curiosity about the world and an instinct to intervene, Anna Lim explores the boundaries between reality and fantasy through

self-reflective photographic work. Her practice focuses on weapons of war, social anxiety, and the human body, and she has exhibited extensively.

She has received the SAYA PHOTO Award (2025) and the ILWOO Photography Award (2020), among others, and has been recognized as a leading

contemporary Korean photographer in The New Yorker and the British Journal of Photography. She earned her PhD from Hongik University and

is currently a professor at Sangmyung University in Korea.

         

          Award

 

          2025 1ST The SAYA PHOTO Award, Saya Cultural Foundation, Korea

          2020 11th ILWOO Photography Award, HanJin Group, Seoul, Korea

          2019 Arles 2019 Photo Folio Review Award

          2017 Artist selected by Korean Artist Project, Korean Art Museum Association

          2014 Soorim Photography Cultural Award by Soorim Cultural Foundation

          2013 Korean Rising Women Artists Award by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea

          2012 Sovereign Asian Art The top 30 finalists Award by Sovereign Art Foundation

          2012 Artists of 4070 project Award by Public Art Magazine

          1999 The Young Photographer of the Year Award by 'Gallery Korea' in New York

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Education

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2019 P.h.D in Photography, Hongik University, Korea

1996 M.A. in Photography & Mixed Media, California State University, Fullerton, USA

1992 B.F.A. in Photography, SangMyung University, Korea

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 Solo Exhibition

​2025 Cyclops and the Angel, Gallery Ryugaheon, Seoul, Korea

2024 White Veil, Gallery Heosongseol, Cheonan, Korea 

          2023 Anxiety ON/OFF, Galerie Shadows, Arles, France

          2022 Anxiety; weight transferred to image, Gallery THE BEAM, Daejeon

2020 Anxiety ON/OFF, ILWOO Space, Seoul

2019 Mimicry-X, 291 Photographs, Seoul
2019 SHOW UP ; The Expression and Illusion of Weapons, Seo Hak-dong Gallery, Jeonju
2019 Imagine Leaning on Things, Seoi Gallery, Seoul

2018 Rehearsal of anxiety, Gallery LUX, Seoul

2017 White Imagination, Art Sebin, Seoul

2017 Frozen Hero, Space 22 Gallery, Seoul

2015 Frozen Objects, Jean Gallery, Seoul

2014 Concealed Imagination, Gallery INDEX, Seoul

2012 Irony-addicted, Jean Gallery, Seoul

2011 Restructure of Climax, Jean Gallery, Seoul

2010 The Blue Scar, Gallery NUDA, Daejeon

2009 Two Imaginary Plays, Gallery DOOIN, Seoul

2008 White Veil, Gallery IS, Seoul

2001 How Much Am I, Gallery LUX, Seoul

2000 To Keep my Soul, SK photo Gallery, Seoul

1998 Origami, Gallery Generous Miracle, New York

1998 My Money, 1998, Gallery Jadita, New York

1996 Witness, Gallery East, LA

1995 From a Body, Gallery Main, CSUF, LA

 

Selected Group Exhibition

​2025. HerStories, Gallery Index, Seoul, Korea

2025. INFLECTION-FOLLOWING POLARIS, Korean Cultural Centre Australia, Sydney, Australia

2025. I will be your mirror, Continue Auction, Seoul, Korea

            2025 12.3 Extra News, Gallery Ryugaheon, Seoul

          2024 A body and Unexpected Mood, Project_Space_Kosmos, Incheon.

          2024 PHOTOBASEl, (Ahn Gallery), Switzerland

          2024 41.6 %, Single-person Household, BOAN1942, Seoul

          2023 Pop Thai Photography, Korea-Thai Photography Exchange Exhibition, Korean Cultural Center Thailand, Thailand

          2023 Visual Narrative, The 7th Busan Photo Festival, Busan            

          2023 The Direction of the Senses_Finding the Passage, GALLERY KIM, Seoul

          2023 Hwang Gyu-tae and Friends, ART SPACE J, Seoul

          2023 FANTASIA_Virtual and Reality Hampyeong County Museum of Art, Hampyeong

          2023 Picture walking out of the Photobook, ART SPACE J, Seoul

          2022 Korean contemporary photographer, PhotoArt magazine 33rd anniversary exhibition, Cheonbulcheontop Photo Cultural Center, Hwasun, 

          2022 Contemporary Korea Photography, GALLERY KIM, Seoul

          2022 Stand in Memory, Daedeok Cultural Center, Daegu, Korea

          2022 META REALITY: BEYOND THE REALITY, The 8th Korea International Photo Festival 2022, Seoul

          2022 DMZ ART PROJECT Peaceful Coexistence Zone, Gyeonggi Cultural Foundation, Imjingak Pyeonghwa Nuri Park, Korea

          2021 Time Is Not Passing Without Meaning, The 14th Jeonju Photo Festival, Jeonju

          2021 Missing Agenda, Seoul National University Museum of Art, Seoul

          2021 Flowing Refuses to Stop, The 11th Yeosu International Art Festival, Yeosu

2020 10 Years of Participation in the Sovereign Asian Arts Festival, Gallery Index, Seoul
2020 Let's Play at the Country Village Art Museum, Gureumma, Jirisan Culture and Arts Cooperative, Gyeongnam
2020 Unexpectedly, Project Sinpo, Incheon
2020 Synergy of Conflict, Gallery Kyul, Seoul
2019 Les Couleurs d'Arles Portfolio for 10 People, Gallery Lumos, Daegu
2019 Me and Them, Korean Photo Exhibition, Pingyaho International Photo Festival, China
2019 What am I going to do with pictures?, 3rd Busan International Photography Festival, Busan
2019 Anna's Arles, Ryu Ryu Ryu-heon Gallery, Seoul
2019 Summer Closer to Marmalade, Gallery Kyul, Seoul
2018 Memory and Imagination Variations, Hwasun County Cheonbulcheon Tower Photo Culture Center, Hwasun

2018 Gourmet dinner, Dambit cultual center, Damyang, Korea

2018 Variation of memory and imagination, Cheonbulcheontop PhotoCenter, Hwasun, Korea

2017 Community for Self-Reflection: State, Individuals and us, Buk Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul

2017 Focus on Korean Documentry , Photoville 2017, New York, USA

2016 My dear Country , Busan Art District P, Busan, Korea

2016 Seoul New Arirang, Seoul Photography Festival, Art Space Sei, Seoul

2016 Unusual Softness and Tremor, Seoul Innovation Park, Seoul

2015 Sweet Story, Shinsegae Gallery, Seoul

2015 Food Scape, Art Space J, Seoul

2014 Cinderella, 63 Sky Art Museum, Seoul

2014 Warhol and Friends, Jean Gallery, Seoul

2013 DongSangIMong, Korea University Museum, Seoul

2013 Hommage for Yayoi Kusama, Jean Gallery, Seoul

2013 White Summer, Lotte gallery, Daejeon

2013 2013 Contemporary art ruhr , Germany

2013 UTOPIA, Opera Gallery, Seoul

2013 Korea Contemporary Artist, Tjibaou culture center, New Caledonia

2013 The 2013-2013 Sovereign Asian Art Prize in Korea, Seoul

2013 Korean Dreamimg , Jungdong Gallery, Seoul

2012 Art 7 Cook . Sejong Center for performance arts, Seoul

2011 Microcosm, Amelia Johnson comtemporary, Hongkong

2011 Bridge, Bom Gallery, Seoul

2010 Very Special Day, Onemaunt, Seoul

2010 Sweet & Bitter, Bom Gallery, Seoul

2010 Pagus 21.5, Boutique Monaco, Seoul

2009 Serotonin Ⅱ, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul

2009 Circulation of Photography, Seoul Gallery, Seoul

2009 Message of Era, Hana Art Gallery, Seoul

2009 The snow white, Asoh Gallery, Seoul

2009 Urban & Culture, Jeonju Photo Festival , Jeonju

2009 Korea Contemporary Photo Now, Beijing, China

2009 Nature, Objects and Photography, Mulpa Gallery, Seoul

2008 Sweet Imagination , Lux Gallery, Seoul

2008 Moment, time, Era, KOWPA 10th , Lamer Gallery, Seoul

2007 Her Room , Doosan Gallery, Seoul

2007 Body & Flesh ,Trunk Gallery, Seoul

2006 Something about , Exchange Exhibition of Korean and German Female Artists, Germany

2004 11 photographer's preview Another World , Baeksang Memorial Hall, Seoul

2004 A midsummer night's dream , Gail Art Museum in Gyeonggi-do, Seoul

2003 Pink God , Insa Art Gallery, Seoul

2001 Treasure house in my mind, Hwan Gallery, Deagu

2000 Woman, a Beautiful Fiction, SK Gallery, Seoul

1999 Perception, Gallery KOREA, New York

1999 Erotica, 1999 , Gallery MBM, New York

1998 Special Happiness , Gallery Art Beam, Seoul

1998 International salon 98, Gallery Ward-Nasse, New York

1998 Summer Encounters Vital International Young Artists , Gallery Generas Miracle, New York

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Books

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2025 『Cyclopes and Angel』, Ryugaheon Publishing Co., Korea
2024 『Romantic Soldiers』, Ryugaheon Publishing Co., Korea
2021 『Anxiety ON/OFF』, Kehrer Verlag, Germany
2020 『Anxiety ON/OFF』, Lim Anna, Kehrer Verlag Heidelberg and IANNABOOKS Publishing Co.

2017 『Frozen Hero』, Lim Anna, NOONBIT Publishing Co.

2008 『White Veil』, Lim Anna, L Company Co. Ltd.

2002 『Criticizing Photography』, Terry Barrett, Translated by Lim Anna, NOONBIT Publishing Co.

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Collections

 

ArtBank , Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea

The Sovereign Art Foundation

SPACE22, Seoul, Korea

ArtSpace J, Korea

JEAN Art Gallery

SEOI Gallery

SOOLIM Cultural Foundation

Space OPT

Art SEBIN

SG Hankooksamgong

Nexon

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