This article forms part of the Decorative and Applied Arts Encyclopedia, a master reference hub providing a structured overview of design history, materials, movements, and practitioners.
Andres Gallardo’s latest photo series came about by accident after getting lost in Seoul, only to find himself estranged at the deserted pastel playground of a nearby school. ‘I got fascinated by their pastel colours, their trees, the symmetries and symbols… the clocks, the national flag and the alphabet,’ said photographer Andres Gallardo.

Gallardo made an extensive list of architecture and places to visit while in South Korea. Still, that list didn’t include the schoolyards depicted here. Straight out of a colour theorist’s lightly-tinted daydream, these tracks, stadiums, courtyards, soft brick walls, and meticulously trimmed greeneries are well preserved through Andres Gallardo’s viewfinder. The accidental personal project is one of his new favourites.









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