“we often remember someone by a single image, but yeonjun resists any singular definition. pure yet piercing, fluid yet distinct. yeonjun exists in the space between.
in this exhibition captured by photographer petra collins, yeonjun naturally drifts between the clear youth of early summer and the unfamiliar fantasies of dusk. these differing worlds intertwine rather than collide, revealing the diverse facets coexisting within a single person. rather than pretending to be someone else, yeonjun simply exists as himself, blurring the line between reality and dream.
this project goes beyond a mere documentary of yeonjun. it is rather an attempt to capture the air and lyricism surrounding him, focusing on the eyes and expression of his most candid moments.
lastly, we share a letter from petra collins to yeonjun—an artists gaze from behind the lens, and the most personal perspective from this exhibition began.
shooting yeonjun was such a pleasure. since the moment i met him, he’s been incredibly kind, curious, and full of life. there’s a warmth and openness to him that makes being around him feel effortless. for this story, i wanted to return to nature and play with that sense of wonder. we spent the day surrounded by light, water, trees, and mist, creating images that felt dreamy, youthful, and alive. yeonjun moved through the landscape so naturally, bringing both a quiet sensitivity and a playful energy to every frame.
as the sun disappeared, i wanted to capture another side of him. we stepped out of the natural world and into my colored lights, creating something more cinematic and surreal. watching him move between these two worlds felt exciting. he has this rare ability to hold both softness and mystery at once.
thank you, yeonjun, for your trust, your spirit, and for making these images come alive.”
- petra collins
i'm really happy with the petra collins photoshoot :') it's subtle but it's making me think a lot about how yeonjun has been using his position in terms of breaking gender boundaries
taking into account that yeonjun is such a figurehead that he got the nickname "it boy,"
tldr: i really admire the way yeonjun uses his position breaking gender boundaries; rather than trying to perform masculinity or subverting it into overt hegemonic femininity, his message is to exist in one's own honest, boundary-less, nontraditional space.
❓introduce yourself with your name and something you’re in-charge of (in a slightly unserious way)
🦊 hello, i look tough but i’m cuter than anybody else! it’s yeonjun!
⭐️ yeaah!
👤 are you into cuteness these days?
🦊 i’ve been putting in effort to become cuter
👤 do you aspire to be more estro than teto?
🦊 rather than aspiring to be it, i think i am more estro to begin with
🧸 that’s true
note: teto-man (testosterone man) = guy with strong masculine energy
estro-man (estrogen man) = guy with softer, more conventionally feminine behavioral and characteristic qualities
without the constraints of masculinity, he grew up so well into an adult that expresses himself and his identity via fashion really beautifully, boundless to social standards or labels 🤍
whenever i see yeonjun and his borderless expression through fashion—i wonder how he was raised, how his family nurtured him to be a man with zero fragile masculinity runs in his blood. he’s beyond progressive