The series ‘To Be With You, In Private’ (2022) explores the intricacies of queer identity and relationships; centred around a ‘coming of age’ into idyllic experiences of desire, intimacy and affection. Yet ingrained into these experiences are the underlying need to conceal queerness and suppress expressions of affection in fear of prejudice and discrimination.

To show queer bodies, relationships and intimacy through ethereal imagery became a means of highlighting the dichotomous beauty, and struggles that the LGBTQI+ community faces in these nuanced experiences, not captured enough in media.

Models: Angelina Nguyen, Charlotte Barbarin, Warren Pinto & Max Schickinger

My HSC Artwork “Between East & West” is a visual exploration and documentation upon the dichotomous experiences of being both Asian and Australian. Centralised around my own familial spheres, and exploring the significance of my Chinese heritage; these experimental scrolls navigate the convolution, and struggles of assimilating into Western culture, whilst struggling to retain our Chinese culture.

The four 32 x 102cm scrolls and one 40.5 x 139cm scroll, incorporates elements of photography, calligraphy, collaging and typography. Each scroll diverges off to represent an individual narrative of my family, told through a series of quotes, images, and visual heirlooms. There had been further experimentation with a variety of new materials; of rice paper, India inks, coffee scrubs and even burning the scrolls to further accentuate elements of the work.

At the end of the process, after a few manic all-nighters getting the scrolls done before the due date, I reflected on my work and what it meant to me. I realised that my flawed and unrefined scrolls came back to the fact, that I was finally displaying the honour that I feel, to be lodged between being, Asian and Australian.

‘Stuck in Time’ 2019.

This photo series ‘Stuck in Time’ stemmed from an art project, where I had creative reign over my work. In this series of works, a big focal point for me was to achieve a sense of nostalgia. With “Stuck in Time”, I wanted it to feel as if you were simply looking through someones photo-book/scrapbook, and taking a glimpse into their life, and experiences; one of their moments, stuck in time. As a matter of fact, these images were pulled out of my film archive, of a few of my favourite locations, and a snapshot of my life, that is stuck in time.

I was interested in the experimentation aspect of these works, where various collaging, layered and material techniques results in the aged, and personally sentiment set of works.

‘This is Hong Kong’ 2018.

These images were taken on a past trip to Hong Kong, all captured with my phone. There were no real intentions at the time, to turn it into a series, where a striking moment, or composition would be my first and only thought.

Growing up from a Cantonese family, I spent many summer holidays visiting Hong Kong; yet over time the dazzles of neon lights, bustling and buckling streets merged into mundanity for me. However, I wanted to capture Hong Kong in an abstract manner, with simplistic portrayals of the same streets I’d roam, and find the concealed beauty and amazement I looked at Hong Kong, years ago.

‘Vanitas Still Life’ 2017.

Inspired by Dutch Vanitas still life paintings, my intentions were simple; to recreate these artworks. Utilising the flash on our phones, and our phones as cameras themselves, we experimented with composition, lighting and subject matter to recreate these works.