About the Artist
John Dax Lew
Contemporary Photographer & Visual Artist
The Photographer
A Pilgrim with a Camera
John Dax Lew (Korean name: Jae-hwan Yoo, also known as Gong-pa) is a contemporary photographer and visual artist best known for works that explore the intersection of photography, spirituality, and philosophy.
His work often blurs the boundaries between photography and painting, employing techniques that evoke a meditative and abstract atmosphere deeply rooted in Eastern philosophy and spiritualism.
Lew's photography is often described as a "pilgrimage." In his artist statements, he frequently refers to himself not as a master, but as a nagnae (traveler), seeking to understand the world and the self through his camera.
Born in Korea, shaped by years in America, and transformed by the rivers and temples of Laos — his lens carries the weight of three worlds.
The Path
A Life in Three Chapters
America
THE FOUNDATION
Years spent in the United States built the technical foundation and artistic discipline that would later define his visual language. Western influences merged with an innate Eastern sensibility.
Korea
THE AWAKENING
Returning to Seoul, Lew immersed himself in the gallery world -exhibiting meditative works at Gallery NOW in Insadong and deepening his study of Zen philosophy through art.
Laos
THE PILGRIMAGE
In the quiet villages and ancient temples of Laos, he found not just subjects but mirrors — reflections of stillness, impermanence, and the space between souls. Laos became his spiritual home.
Vision
A Pilgrimage Through the Lens
Zen Buddhism
THE FOUNDATION
Exploring the essence of Zen practice through visual expression and contemplative imagery that invites stillness.
Emptiness & Existence
Contemplating the relationship between void (Gong) and being — where nothingness meets presence in a single frame.
Mindscapes
Capturing inner and outer worlds through minimalist landscapes and stripped-down imagery that dissolves the boundary between mind and nature.
Featured
Arirang TV Interviews
Arirang TV — The Artist & His Vision
Arirang TV — Photography as Pilgrimage
Exhibitions
Selected Exhibitions
2025
John Dax Lew Solo Exhibition
Kyung Bok Goong
2018
Blooming in Laos Photo Club 4th Exhibition
Sang-A Gallery · Vientiane, Laos
2016
Blooming in Laos Photo Club 2nd Exhibition
i:cat Gallery · Vientiane, Laos
2011
"One Year" Photography
Gallery NOW · Insadong, Seoul, South Korea
2010
Koan & Siddhartha
Gallery NOW · Insadong, Seoul, South Korea — Minimalist, meditative aesthetics exploring photography and mixed media on the concept of "stillness."
Experience
Laos Photography Workshop
Walk the streets of Vientiane with John Dax Lew. A hands-on workshop where you'll learn to see — and photograph — the soul of a place.
"I don't photograph subjects. I photograph the space between their soul and mine."
— John Dax Lew