Cho Gi Seok has an eye for the surreal. His otherworldly portraits – distinctive for their vibrant colours and recurring motifs of bodies, flowers, butterflies, and technology – depict humanity in perfect balance with natural and artificial elements. Whether it’s faces enshrined in orchids, prosthetic android limbs entwined in wires blooming with petals, or naked bodies sprouting smartphones or USB cables, there’s something both utopian and dystopian about the Korean-born photographer’s beautifully composed works.

His images are a perfect synthesis of his prior creative interests and experience. Having dropped out of Kookmin University in Seoul to focus on graphic design and art direction when he was 20, Gi Seok felt himself being drawn to photography. “I wanted to use all that to create my own images” he explains, “so I started doing photography”.

In 2016, he turned his hand to fashion and launched the visionary clothing brand, KUSIKOHC. The conceptual contemporary streetwear label, which has now produced four collections, offers jewellery and a ready-to-wear line alongside more experimental garments.

As a photographer Gi Seok is already well-established, having worked with magazines such as CR Fashion, KINFOLK, Vogue Korea, Wallpaper China, and Dazed Korea and collaborated with the likes of Prada, Converse Korea, and more. In March this year, his exhibition Coexistence opened at Stockholm’s prestigious Fotografiska Museum; it's set to go on tour, with a show in New York later in the year too. He’s also looking towards the re-launch of KUSIKOHC with a new collection and a new partnership. 

Text Emily Dinsdale