1st place
gold star award
Zena Holloway
united kingdom 
title
The Last Mermaids
The haenyeo are part of a tradition that has been passed down from mother to daughter for a 1000 years. They are the Korean ‘mermaids’, of Jeju Island who venture into frigid depths of up to 20 meters without any breathing equipment, braving the dangers of the ocean, as they scour the seabed for food. The haenyeo believe we do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, but that we borrow it from our children.
Her recent work Flowers for Jeju : The Last Mermaids focuses on the historical and spiritual tradition of the Haenyeo of South Korea. Through the mediums of photography, dance, costume, and narrative, this work explores the unique ancestral relationship between the haenyeo and the oceans during a period of rapid ecological, industrial and technological change.
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entry description
Photographed underwater, these sirens hang weightless, deep in the ocean, on the threshold of becoming lost in the black water or rising to the surface to return to the real world. Inspired by the diving women of South Korea this series explores the relationship that these women have with the oceans during a period of rapid ecological change.The haenyeo are part of a tradition that has been passed down from mother to daughter for a 1000 years. They are the Korean ‘mermaids’, of Jeju Island who venture into frigid depths of up to 20 meters without any breathing equipment, braving the dangers of the ocean, as they scour the seabed for food. The haenyeo believe we do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, but that we borrow it from our children.
about the photographer
Zena Holloway (born 1973 in Bahrain) is an underwater photographic artist living in London. Self-taught, her work deviates from the stereotypical imagery associated with underwater photography. For Holloway the water serves as a space to create, using cinematic drama and painterly aesthetics, she directs her models along themes of universal human experiences associated with our seas and oceans: love, solitude, intimacy and romance.Her recent work Flowers for Jeju : The Last Mermaids focuses on the historical and spiritual tradition of the Haenyeo of South Korea. Through the mediums of photography, dance, costume, and narrative, this work explores the unique ancestral relationship between the haenyeo and the oceans during a period of rapid ecological, industrial and technological change.
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