top of page

     

     

     

    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

    Education

    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

    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

    Books

    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.

    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

    bottom of page