Albert Yuk Shuttered Light Exhibit Opens in Reed Gallery

THIJS WITTINK/DEERFIELD SCROLL

On April 12, the Reed Gallery held the opening reception for Shuttered Light by Albert Yuk ’26. Composed of a curated collection of photographs, the exhibition invites viewers to consider the biases and authenticity of what the media chooses to portray.

From the direction of the Concert Hall, the first photographs showcase a film set in Beijing, deliberately staged to simulate a real-life war scene. However, as viewers move through the gallery, the scenes behind the photographs shift toward documenting real wartime environments in Israel and Iran.

By deliberately separating staged war scenes from real ones, Yuk utilizes this collection of photographs to convey the message of media bias. “It was my intention to make that distinction confusing, because in the modern world, media kind of skews that portrayal, and it doesn't really portray these things accurately themselves,” said Yuk. 

The scope of Yuk’s photos extends far beyond the exhibition itself and encompasses his travels to Israel, Iran, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, and more. Starting in the winter of Yuk’s sophomore year, he began working for the 1992 Spot News Pulitzer Prize-winning Chinese photojournalist Liu Heung Shing and spent his breaks traveling to the Middle East to photograph from the front lines of active conflict zones.

However, Yuk’s photography journey started long before his travels. Growing up, Yuk’s road to becoming an artist was largely shaped by the exposure he received from his eldest brother Alan, a skilled sculptor and painter. “I feel like I got exposure to the arts at a very early age because of that,” said Yuk. Originally following in his brother's footsteps, Yuk painted for 8 years but hated the art form because of its tedious, boring process. On the other hand, photography captivated him because of the movement and storytelling inherent in its art. 

In his gallery, Yuk sought to capture the story of freedom and liberty in a photograph entitled “Intersection of Tradition and Modernity,” his personal favorite. The photograph depicts a man suspended in a crane, looming over the Freedom Tower in Iran. Constructed in 1971, this tower was built prior to the start of the Iranian Revolution in 1978. To Yuk, who thought that the individual had a lot more liberty pre-revolution, “it’s just really interesting to see the Freedom Tower in a composition that is being caged with clouds in the background.” He further explains, “This contrast symbolizes freedom and liberty being caged.”

Although Yuk seeks to depict symbolic moments in his photographs, he also documents ordinary scenes from day-to-day life. Yuk referenced a photograph entitled “Warrior’s Respite,” which depicts a woman sitting outside a kitchen while a man cooks inside. “My mom said that this was her favorite piece,” he noted, “because she liked the fact that the man, instead of a woman, was cooking in the kitchen.” His mother’s interpretation aligned with Yuk’s intention, which also aimed to convey the underrepresentation of women fighting in war when capturing the photo.

Though capturing these photographs gave Yuk unique insights into the media’s biases and deceptions, the synthesis of photographs for this gallery was initially unintentional. “I definitely wouldn’t say that I took these photos for a gallery, but rather how I configured them in such a way that made sense for a gallery,” says Yuk when commenting on the construction process.

Throughout the entire process of assembling the exhibition Shuttered Light and Yuk’s Deerfield journey, Visual and Performing Arts teacher Tim Trelease has provided his unwavering support for his four-year student. From studying Intro to Photography and Filmmaking in Yuk’s freshman year to being a TA for the AP Photography class, Mr. Trelease has guided Yuk throughout different phases of his artistic journey. Beyond simple technical knowledge, Mr. Trelease has also encouraged Yuk to experiment with filmmaking and other forms of photography that were previously new to Yuk.

The journey of studying photography at Deerfield, coupled with Yuk’s experience living in Hong Kong and Shanghai, has made him increasingly aware of the veil of misinformation present throughout the media. Thus, through this carefully assembled series, Yuk says upon post-reflection, “I was trying to convey that veil and make people more aware of how present that veil can be.”