Women who dive for food

The Haenyeo (sea women) of Jeju.

Image by me of one of the Haenyo photographed by Peter Ash Lee

In New York, late July and all of August is the quiet time. Want a dinner reservation at the impossible-to-get-into-spot on your list? This is the time. I happened to be one of the people who hung out in the city most of the summer. Yes, I had some delicious meals. And I took in some amazing art ahead of the fall high season.

I can’t quite remember how “The Last Mermaid” exhibit at a tiny Lower East Side gallery made it onto my radar. I think it was via Instagram. I’d never heard of the Lyle Gallery, tucked into the first story of a red brick townhouse south of Canal Street. But the pictures I saw intrigued me enough to make my way there on an overly hot, humid Saturday afternoon.

It was so inconspicuous and tiny that I walked right by it and then backtracked to the address I had in my calendar app.

Image by me of The Last Mermaid photographed by Peter Ash Lee

The backstory.

Born in Seoul, Korea, and raised in Toronto, Canada, New York-based photographer Peter Ash Lee has shot for publications like Vogue, The New York Times, T Magazine and Dazed, as well as top-tier brands such as Balmain, Tom Ford, MAC, and Kenzo.

Aware of their legacy and importance, Lee set out for the island of Jeju, South Korea to document the Haenyo in December 2018.

Here’s the description of the exhibit. When I read it, I was immediately curious about these women and their “semi-matriarchal family structure.”