This is a project capturing strangers that are middle-aged men and older. They are often categorized as ‘Ajeossi', a term for a middle-aged man in Korean. The moment they are labelled as an ‘Ajeossi’, they are no longer viewed as individuals, but as this idea of a group of old men. Then, who are they? What are the things that they are into? I wanted to focus on them as a subject who happened to be ‘boomers', not viewing them as ‘Ajeossi’ as the Korean society has instilled in us. The moment I take photographs of them, I am able to read the person behind the camera. I get to see the person in a way that I wouldn’t be able to do to a stranger. When I see them through the viewfinder, I can picture them being in their youth. The materials of their clothes, the patterns on the fabric and their choices of accessories altogether tell us how much they don’t care what others would think of them. Those wrinkles on their faces, the facial expressions and the confident poses tell us their stories in a mysterious way.

Haneul Lee uses photography as an interface for exploring various modes of relationships between herself and others. Her works are often inspired by the subtle insecurities arising during her interactions with strangers. She is intrigued by how our transition into the digital era has impacted photography and is constantly studying linkages between images and the world we live in. She was selected for the "open pt" program at The Reference and subsequently held a solo exhibition in 2021.
She participated in a special exhibition at the Daegu Biennale, published the book Decades with AKAAKA, and won awards at IMA, SIPF.