DAEJEON PHOTO FESTIVAL

The 2026 theme of the DAEJEON PHOTO FESTIVAL, “Labor,” transcends the notion of labor as merely a means of livelihood or a social issue. It represents the fundamental energy that has sustained civilization itself.
Through its inherent documentary power, photography transforms fleeting moments of human activity into enduring material form, becoming a civilizational archive that bears witness to how humanity has survived and prospered across time.

From cotton fields in Egypt to data centers in Silicon Valley, the DAEJEON PHOTO FESTIVAL seeks to compose a report on labor in the Anthropocene—revealing how human beings have moved, resisted, and preserved their dignity within the global flows of capital.