chengdu, china | 2016
–
hibiscus
'hibiscus' was shot on my first trip to China, which is of particular significance to me – despite being born and raised in Singapore, I am of Chinese ancestry.
In Singapore, English is the main language, dialects are banned from mainstream media, and as a result, I grew up largely consuming Western media. Much of China's cultures and customs are foreign to me, and over the course of two months I found myself challenged by the tensions formed between my identity and ethnicity.
During this time, I captured moments which resonated, unconsciously constructing a narrative of the city. In doing so, I began to discover a Chinese experience that grew increasingly personal – through my encounters, visual motifs and metaphor.
