Luo Yang

This selection of images comes from my two series of work, Girls and Youth, both of which focus on the generation of young people born in China during the ’80s and ’90s. As with all my work that’s shot against interiors, the space inhabited by the subject creates a strong sense of intimacy and reveals a lot about the person, as the photos are usually taken in the subjects’ own places, meaning it’s all very familiar. The spaces help them relax, and I like to explore these interiors together with the subjects and use them for my photography. We make some plans before meeting up for the shoot. I’ve always liked the intimacy of interiors, and the intimacy that a space can bring to the model. I try to present their most authentic state and capture real emotional moments with these people, so usually they bring me to their homes or places they like to hang out. My photos are not space-oriented; that part is decided by the people I shoot. 

⏤Luo Yang

Ni Feiya has a normal job by day but is a drag queen by night; you could see that from the details in his room. He has outfits and makeup, etc. I met him when I was travelling in Taiwan and this photo was taken in his apartment. He did a little performance at home when we shot and also showed me videos of him and his friends performing drag.

This photo was taken where she lived at the time. The space was full of her favourite colour and elements from Tibet (where she’s from) that matched with her clothing. We were chatting and she just sat there, very relaxed. I liked that moment. I met Gelaicuomao when I travelled across China back in 2017; at the time she was living in Qinghai and working as an English teacher. But she was also studying design and wanted to go to a big city to become a designer one day.

An interesting couple from Hong Kong; exploring their apartment was a fun experience. I met them when I was touring there in 2019, as they’re friends of friends. In Hong Kong there are lots of old buildings, tall and narrow spaces.

She’s a model that I know from work. The photo was taken in Shanghai, and the piece is from my Girls series. We’ve also worked together on other projects.

This photo was taken in Shanghai in Lukaz’s apartment in 2019. He strikes people as a bad-boy type at first, but when you talk to him you find that he’s actually a very gentle, shy person, who also keeps a cat of his own.

‘Princess Butterfly’ is an art student; she’s turned herself into a living art project by becoming the embodiment of the flashy aesthetics of the Chinese countryside in the ’90s. And her room is exactly like that too! I thought she was a really interesting person when I read about her online, and I met her in person in Taiwan in 2019. She’s mocking materialism and vulgar aesthetics and has turned it into a bizarre fashion. And she captures it with great accuracy! So, as well as her own person, her living space and all the objects in the photo are part of Princess Butterfly’s expression.

Sai’s an art student, and the photo was taken in her college dormitory in Shanghai in 2019 for my Youth project. She was introduced by a friend.

Zhang Ao is a designer/stylist. The photo was taken in his Shanghai apartment in 2019.