From Mongolia to Taiwan, Japan to the Philippines, the selected projects reflect the vibrancy and diversity of a region whose voices are shaping the future of visual storytelling. Alongside the main selection, PhotoVogue also awards three special grants and announces further activations with Vogue Japan and Vogue Taiwan.
PhotoVogue is delighted to announce the 40 artists selected from East and Southeast Asian Panorama, our regional open call.
Hailing from across East and Southeast Asia—as well as from the diaspora—these artists reflect the richness and diversity of the region’s cultural and artistic landscape. Their projects explore identity, heritage, and contemporary issues through fashion stories, documentary practices, and deeply personal narratives. Each body of work was distinguished by its aesthetic coherence, conceptual clarity, and sense of urgency.
This open call, dedicated exclusively to photographers and video makers from East and Southeast Asia, underscores the importance of creating a platform for the region’s talent and of amplifying their voices on the international stage. The selected artists will exhibit at the upcoming PhotoVogue Festival in Milan and will be featured in editions of Vogue worldwide.
Adam Han-Chun Lin
Taiwan, based in the UK
This photograph is part of the series Sonder, which explores Taiwanese and East Asian masculinity through domestic life, focusing on relationships between male family members in London, UK, and Taichung, Taiwan. Often feminine-coded, the family home becomes a space to reimagine care and vulnerability in male intimacy. Blending staged and documentary approaches, the work uses everyday gestures and objects to reflect cross-cultural dialogues and parallels, challenging gender norms and inviting tender, expansive views of masculinity.
This photograph is part of the series Sonder, which explores Taiwanese and East Asian masculinity through domestic life, focusing on relationships between male family members in London, UK, and Taichung, Taiwan. Often feminine-coded, the family home becomes a space to reimagine care and vulnerability in male intimacy. Blending staged and documentary approaches, the work uses everyday gestures and objects to reflect cross-cultural dialogues and parallels, challenging gender norms and inviting tender, expansive views of masculinity.
Ahuei Zhang
Taiwan
This photograph is part of the series Where the Dream Rests. This portfolio traces a visual journey from late 2020 to 2024—a dreamlike passage through sleep, silence, and blooming memory.
This photograph is part of the series Where the Dream Rests. This portfolio traces a visual journey from late 2020 to 2024—a dreamlike passage through sleep, silence, and blooming memory.
Alessia Gunawan
Italy, based in France
This photograph is part of the series She Had a Script, which studies the performance of femininity through doll-like figures staged in familiar, culturally coded settings. Set across Japan and Indonesia, the images echo scenes we think we’ve seen—figures in masks, beneath petals, behind glass, composed but unreadable. Beauty is fixed, rehearsed, and quietly unsettling. Nothing moves, yet everything suggests.
This photograph is part of the series She Had a Script, which studies the performance of femininity through doll-like figures staged in familiar, culturally coded settings. Set across Japan and Indonesia, the images echo scenes we think we’ve seen—figures in masks, beneath petals, behind glass, composed but unreadable. Beauty is fixed, rehearsed, and quietly unsettling. Nothing moves, yet everything suggests.
Archie Geotina
Philippines
This photograph is part of the series Pearls. The Pearls Project by Archie Geotina is a multidisciplinary photo series that celebrates the strength and heritage of women surfers across coastal Asia. Set against the backdrop of the ocean, the women wear traditional attire, transforming cultural garments into living expressions of freedom and identity. While the surf action is captured in collaboration with local photographers, all land-based portraits are photographed and directed by Geotina himself, blending fine art and cultural documentation.
This photograph is part of the series Pearls. The Pearls Project by Archie Geotina is a multidisciplinary photo series that celebrates the strength and heritage of women surfers across coastal Asia. Set against the backdrop of the ocean, the women wear traditional attire, transforming cultural garments into living expressions of freedom and identity. While the surf action is captured in collaboration with local photographers, all land-based portraits are photographed and directed by Geotina himself, blending fine art and cultural documentation.
Chan-Hyo Bae
Korea, based in London
This photograph is part of the series Existing in Costume. Between 2006 and 2010, Chan-Hyo Bae created staged self-portraits in which he appeared as a Western noblewoman and fairy-tale heroine.1 Responding to feelings of cultural exclusion as an East Asian man in the UK, he inserted himself into Western historical and fictional imagery to challenge norms of race, gender, and belonging.2 By mimicking dominant visual traditions, Bae exposes how identity is constructed through visibility, power, and myth.
This photograph is part of the series Existing in Costume. Between 2006 and 2010, Chan-Hyo Bae created staged self-portraits in which he appeared as a Western noblewoman and fairy-tale heroine.1 Responding to feelings of cultural exclusion as an East Asian man in the UK, he inserted himself into Western historical and fictional imagery to challenge norms of race, gender, and belonging.2 By mimicking dominant visual traditions, Bae exposes how identity is constructed through visibility, power, and myth.
Chiron Duong
Vietnam
This photograph is part of the series Keep My Heart, an experimental photographic process that uses photography to connect psychology, sociology, and fashion with mystical folk elements of Vietnamese culture in particular and Eastern culture in general. At the same time, it is very close to the global social upheavals taking place. The work aims to understand the contrast between the subconscious and unconscious worlds of young people living and working in Vietnam between the ages of 20 and 30 and their external, conscious expressions in fashion.
This photograph is part of the series Keep My Heart, an experimental photographic process that uses photography to connect psychology, sociology, and fashion with mystical folk elements of Vietnamese culture in particular and Eastern culture in general. At the same time, it is very close to the global social upheavals taking place. The work aims to understand the contrast between the subconscious and unconscious worlds of young people living and working in Vietnam between the ages of 20 and 30 and their external, conscious expressions in fashion.
Chun Han
China
This photograph is part of the series Township – The Left Behind. This photo series was taken in Chun Han hometowns. Compared to major cities, the artist’s hometowns, which depend on coal and heavy industry, are relatively underdeveloped. But she chose to document the intimacy in daily life, the way people stay connected. Their looks may not be trendy, their tools may be outdated, and life may not be affluent, but she’s touched by their energy and confidence in living well. After years abroad, she feels more connected to home and feel the urge to document its passing.
This photograph is part of the series Township – The Left Behind. This photo series was taken in Chun Han hometowns. Compared to major cities, the artist’s hometowns, which depend on coal and heavy industry, are relatively underdeveloped. But she chose to document the intimacy in daily life, the way people stay connected. Their looks may not be trendy, their tools may be outdated, and life may not be affluent, but she’s touched by their energy and confidence in living well. After years abroad, she feels more connected to home and feel the urge to document its passing.
Devin Blaskovich
Korea, based in the United States
This photograph is part of the series They Told Me We’re Heading Somewhere, a photographic series documenting fellow diasporic Korean folks in spaces of domesticity, community, and nature in the United States to portray the nuances of lived experience in the face of reductive Western narratives.
This photograph is part of the series They Told Me We’re Heading Somewhere, a photographic series documenting fellow diasporic Korean folks in spaces of domesticity, community, and nature in the United States to portray the nuances of lived experience in the face of reductive Western narratives.
Farid Renais Ghimas
Indonesia
This photograph is part of the series Angan-Angan Harsa, an energetic exploration of moments of joy, set in the familiar landscapes of photographer Farid Renais Ghimas’ birthplace, Bengkulu—a province on the southwest coast of Sumatra Island, Indonesia. Documented in the summer of 2022, this series portrays the photographer’s family, friends, and community members as protagonists in a visual narrative that reflects the rhythms of everyday life.
This photograph is part of the series Angan-Angan Harsa, an energetic exploration of moments of joy, set in the familiar landscapes of photographer Farid Renais Ghimas’ birthplace, Bengkulu—a province on the southwest coast of Sumatra Island, Indonesia. Documented in the summer of 2022, this series portrays the photographer’s family, friends, and community members as protagonists in a visual narrative that reflects the rhythms of everyday life.
Fumi Nagasaka
Japan, based in the United States
This photograph is part of the series Second Life. This project is about Fumi Nagasaka’s 94-year-old grandmother, Shizue. After caring for her husband for over 70 years, she’s now enjoying her “second life.” A WWII survivor, she lives with deep gratitude, honours Japanese traditions, and prays daily, never missing a day. Her health, kindness, and routine inspires the artist. She began this project to document her life, stories, and strength—a tribute to the woman behind the smile she’s always cherished.
This photograph is part of the series Second Life. This project is about Fumi Nagasaka’s 94-year-old grandmother, Shizue. After caring for her husband for over 70 years, she’s now enjoying her “second life.” A WWII survivor, she lives with deep gratitude, honours Japanese traditions, and prays daily, never missing a day. Her health, kindness, and routine inspires the artist. She began this project to document her life, stories, and strength—a tribute to the woman behind the smile she’s always cherished.
Guanling Chen
China
This photograph is part of the series Trees of Life. The Miao people live in the mountains with abundant grass and trees. They worship trees and believe that human beings would not exist without them. However, cracks are appearing in this intimate and strong relationship due to poor transportation, scarce resources, and an exodus of young people. Trees may live for centuries, but what about the culture built around them? When young people no longer believe in the protection of tree gods and the last “tree of life” falls, what will we lose?
This photograph is part of the series Trees of Life. The Miao people live in the mountains with abundant grass and trees. They worship trees and believe that human beings would not exist without them. However, cracks are appearing in this intimate and strong relationship due to poor transportation, scarce resources, and an exodus of young people. Trees may live for centuries, but what about the culture built around them? When young people no longer believe in the protection of tree gods and the last “tree of life” falls, what will we lose?
Guanyu Xu
China, based in the United States
This photograph is part of the series Resident Aliens, which presents physical photographic installations within immigrants’ interior spaces to examine their personal histories and complex experiences. Photographing the layered images of immigrants’ interior spaces, belongings, personal photo archives, and pictures of places they captured in this world, the project blurs the boundaries between the familiar and foreign, private and public, belonging and alienation. It is particularly meaningful as we face the rise of xenophobia.
This photograph is part of the series Resident Aliens, which presents physical photographic installations within immigrants’ interior spaces to examine their personal histories and complex experiences. Photographing the layered images of immigrants’ interior spaces, belongings, personal photo archives, and pictures of places they captured in this world, the project blurs the boundaries between the familiar and foreign, private and public, belonging and alienation. It is particularly meaningful as we face the rise of xenophobia.
Guo Li
China
This photograph is part of the series Garden Reverie, which reimagines traditional Chinese aesthetics through a modern lens, exploring dialogues between heritage and innovation within the rigorous symmetry of northern Chinese gardens.
This photograph is part of the series Garden Reverie, which reimagines traditional Chinese aesthetics through a modern lens, exploring dialogues between heritage and innovation within the rigorous symmetry of northern Chinese gardens.
Isabelle Zhao
United States
This photograph is part of the series Mongkol. These tender portraits reveal the boys beneath the fighters at a family-run Muay Thai gym.
This photograph is part of the series Mongkol. These tender portraits reveal the boys beneath the fighters at a family-run Muay Thai gym.
Jake Verzosa
Philippines
This photograph is part of the series The Last Tattooed Women of Kalinga, which presents portraits by Jake Verzosa, who laments and celebrates a dying tradition of tattooing in villages throughout the Cordillera mountains in the northern Philippines. For nearly a thousand years, the Kalinga women have proudly worn these lace-like patterns, or batok, on their skin as symbols of beauty, wealth, stature, and fortitude.
This photograph is part of the series The Last Tattooed Women of Kalinga, which presents portraits by Jake Verzosa, who laments and celebrates a dying tradition of tattooing in villages throughout the Cordillera mountains in the northern Philippines. For nearly a thousand years, the Kalinga women have proudly worn these lace-like patterns, or batok, on their skin as symbols of beauty, wealth, stature, and fortitude.
Jiayue Li
China
This photograph is part of the series Girls and their rooms. Jiayue Li created the long-term documentary project “Girls and their rooms” (2016-present) by observing her own life as a 19-year-old girl who rents a small studio and lives far away from her hometown in a foreign megacity. From close friends and herself to a wider range of Asian girls, in this project Jiayue Li has photographed and interviewed more than 50 Asian girls from different nations renting and living alone in the UK, Spain, China, Japan, and elsewhere.
This photograph is part of the series Girls and their rooms. Jiayue Li created the long-term documentary project “Girls and their rooms” (2016-present) by observing her own life as a 19-year-old girl who rents a small studio and lives far away from her hometown in a foreign megacity. From close friends and herself to a wider range of Asian girls, in this project Jiayue Li has photographed and interviewed more than 50 Asian girls from different nations renting and living alone in the UK, Spain, China, Japan, and elsewhere.
Juno Seunghui Joo
Korea, based in the United Kingdom
This photograph is part of the series Make Me Your Country, which explores the complexities of love, identity, and cultural exchange through the lens of an intercultural relationship. It examines the experiences of two individuals from different backgrounds as they attempt to bridge their differences while navigating the nuances of connection, miscommunication, and understanding.
This photograph is part of the series Make Me Your Country, which explores the complexities of love, identity, and cultural exchange through the lens of an intercultural relationship. It examines the experiences of two individuals from different backgrounds as they attempt to bridge their differences while navigating the nuances of connection, miscommunication, and understanding.
Keigo Wezel
Japan, based in Belgium
This photograph is part of the series Sleepwalking, a photo project about living in a dreamlike state. The artist has always been a daydreamer, and that perspective shapes how he sees the world.
This photograph is part of the series Sleepwalking, a photo project about living in a dreamlike state. The artist has always been a daydreamer, and that perspective shapes how he sees the world.
Kinguv.shih
China
This photograph is part of the series The Black River. This set of works was shot with a combination of Fujifilm GFX100 and Sony A7R4. It takes the Yi creation epic, The Nuosu Book of Origins: A Creation Epic from Southwest China, as its visual blueprint. Through the dual variations of natural rhythms and individual life histories, it outlines the realistic picture of contemporary Liangshan society in the form of cinematography, weaving a “national image chronicle” full of allegory in a narrative that alternates between reality and fiction.
This photograph is part of the series The Black River. This set of works was shot with a combination of Fujifilm GFX100 and Sony A7R4. It takes the Yi creation epic, The Nuosu Book of Origins: A Creation Epic from Southwest China, as its visual blueprint. Through the dual variations of natural rhythms and individual life histories, it outlines the realistic picture of contemporary Liangshan society in the form of cinematography, weaving a “national image chronicle” full of allegory in a narrative that alternates between reality and fiction.
Kuei-Ting Liu
Taiwan
This photograph is part of the series The Plum Rain Season. Taipei’s Plum Rain season fills the city with damp clouds, blending into daily life and emotions. Through my lens, the artist reflects on intimate moments with his partner—breathing, embracing, arguing, and dreaming in the humid air. Over three months, they recreated these blurred, sticky memories, capturing Taiwan’s freedom and uncertainty, especially for the LGBTQ+ community. This series explores their shared emotions and questions our place, creating a unique visual language beyond being watched.
This photograph is part of the series The Plum Rain Season. Taipei’s Plum Rain season fills the city with damp clouds, blending into daily life and emotions. Through my lens, the artist reflects on intimate moments with his partner—breathing, embracing, arguing, and dreaming in the humid air. Over three months, they recreated these blurred, sticky memories, capturing Taiwan’s freedom and uncertainty, especially for the LGBTQ+ community. This series explores their shared emotions and questions our place, creating a unique visual language beyond being watched.
Lean Lui
Hong Kong
This photograph is part of the series The White Barracks, which focuses on the fractures within power structures. Lui imagines a fictional island inhabited by a battalion of girl cadets engaged in constant military drills. Each day, the girl cadets watch their comrades engulfed in distant artillery fire, longing to be equipped for the battlefield. In a cave, a collection of sculptures made from leftover war materials documents the spiritual lives, beliefs, and desires once held by this battalion amidst the flames of war.
This photograph is part of the series The White Barracks, which focuses on the fractures within power structures. Lui imagines a fictional island inhabited by a battalion of girl cadets engaged in constant military drills. Each day, the girl cadets watch their comrades engulfed in distant artillery fire, longing to be equipped for the battlefield. In a cave, a collection of sculptures made from leftover war materials documents the spiritual lives, beliefs, and desires once held by this battalion amidst the flames of war.
Lyu Geer
China
This photograph is part of the series Dou Anzhu. A sequel to The Mountains of the Qiang, my Dou Anzhuroots in Wenchuan’s Qiang culture (Sichuan’s Aba Prefecture), home to this ancient ethnic group—one of China’s origins. Central to the work is Dou Anzhu, a revered ancestor. His love with Mujiezhu (the daughter of the god Mubita) survived divine trials; their union and earthly descent embody Qiang virtues, carrying ethnic origin and love meanings. Dou Anzhu’s 80-plus images feature Qiang wizards and rituals—figures closest to gods and the core of the ethnic spirit.
This photograph is part of the series Dou Anzhu. A sequel to The Mountains of the Qiang, my Dou Anzhuroots in Wenchuan’s Qiang culture (Sichuan’s Aba Prefecture), home to this ancient ethnic group—one of China’s origins. Central to the work is Dou Anzhu, a revered ancestor. His love with Mujiezhu (the daughter of the god Mubita) survived divine trials; their union and earthly descent embody Qiang virtues, carrying ethnic origin and love meanings. Dou Anzhu’s 80-plus images feature Qiang wizards and rituals—figures closest to gods and the core of the ethnic spirit.
Michiyo Yanagihara
Japan
This photograph is part of the series beautiful people, a long-term project that has been ongoing since 2016. Michiyo Yanagihara has lived in London for about six years since 2015 and has noticed that Japan is a country where the scenery and streetscapes change at an incredible speed due to natural disasters, aging buildings, and rapid depopulation. Fashion, trends, and media change daily to keep up with them, but how are people’s personalities and individuality affected? The artist wonders if her photographs can capture this.
This photograph is part of the series beautiful people, a long-term project that has been ongoing since 2016. Michiyo Yanagihara has lived in London for about six years since 2015 and has noticed that Japan is a country where the scenery and streetscapes change at an incredible speed due to natural disasters, aging buildings, and rapid depopulation. Fashion, trends, and media change daily to keep up with them, but how are people’s personalities and individuality affected? The artist wonders if her photographs can capture this.
Minh Nhon
Vietnam
This photograph is part of the series Into the Light, the first photo project in Vietnam to spotlight people with albinism—not just to be seen, but to be heard. Created over five years, it brings together stories of courage, vulnerability, and quiet strength. For some, it’s a step forward; for others, a beginning. A reminder that visibility is not just presence—it’s dignity. We are here. We are the light.
This photograph is part of the series Into the Light, the first photo project in Vietnam to spotlight people with albinism—not just to be seen, but to be heard. Created over five years, it brings together stories of courage, vulnerability, and quiet strength. For some, it’s a step forward; for others, a beginning. A reminder that visibility is not just presence—it’s dignity. We are here. We are the light.
Minjue Kim
Seoul and Amsterdam
This photograph is part of the series Imong, are you at peace? Both projects are about South Korean society. They contain a story based on real events but recreated in an imaginary virtual space. Both ask how history affects our present, our social values, and our lives.
This photograph is part of the series Imong, are you at peace? Both projects are about South Korean society. They contain a story based on real events but recreated in an imaginary virtual space. Both ask how history affects our present, our social values, and our lives.
Narantsetseg Khuyagaa
Mongolia
This photograph is part of the series This Way Up. Mongolian art of contortion has been a significant cultural expression since the 12th century, celebrated for its beauty, strength, and spiritual significance. Drawing inspiration from the Tara sculptures of Buddhist leader Zanabazar, we sought to explore the harmonious and rhythmic aspects of the body’s shape, posture, and movement.
This photograph is part of the series This Way Up. Mongolian art of contortion has been a significant cultural expression since the 12th century, celebrated for its beauty, strength, and spiritual significance. Drawing inspiration from the Tara sculptures of Buddhist leader Zanabazar, we sought to explore the harmonious and rhythmic aspects of the body’s shape, posture, and movement.
Nicole Ngai
Seoul, Singapore, London
This photograph is part of the series Threads, an ongoing photographic project that began in 2018, exploring connection, kinship, and the evolving relationship between photographer and subject. It delves into intimacy, presence, identity, and vulnerability, often working with friends and artistic collaborators. The title “Threads” symbolizes the invisible ties that connect us—woven through personal histories, shared experiences, and the act of being truly seen.
This photograph is part of the series Threads, an ongoing photographic project that began in 2018, exploring connection, kinship, and the evolving relationship between photographer and subject. It delves into intimacy, presence, identity, and vulnerability, often working with friends and artistic collaborators. The title “Threads” symbolizes the invisible ties that connect us—woven through personal histories, shared experiences, and the act of being truly seen.
Piczo
Japan
This photograph is part of the series Tokyo.
This photograph is part of the series Tokyo.
Puzzleman Leung
Macao, based in Taiwan
This photograph is part of the series 如常 exploring what it means to live ‘normally’—to hold yourself together, play your part, and survive the quiet weight of everyday life. It is a portrait of normality, not as a given, but as a performance.
This photograph is part of the series 如常 exploring what it means to live ‘normally’—to hold yourself together, play your part, and survive the quiet weight of everyday life. It is a portrait of normality, not as a given, but as a performance.
Ramona Jingru Wang
China, based in the United States
This photograph is part of the series My friends are cyborgs, but that’s okay, a mockumentary project made to imagine a world where Asian bodies navigate as cyborgs in a hegemonic human society. It explores the complex state of being both cyborg and Asian—fluid, transgressive, and marginalized, but also stereotyped as unemotional and inhuman.
This photograph is part of the series My friends are cyborgs, but that’s okay, a mockumentary project made to imagine a world where Asian bodies navigate as cyborgs in a hegemonic human society. It explores the complex state of being both cyborg and Asian—fluid, transgressive, and marginalized, but also stereotyped as unemotional and inhuman.
Riska Munawarah
Indonesia, based in Angola
This photograph is part of the series This Is Us (?), which offers a visual response to the challenges my female friends and I face in implementing Islamic law. I commenced the series by crafting artworks from my family archives that depict the attire of Acehnese women before the enforcement of Islamic law in Aceh. I also present a faceless portrait in response to the elimination of space for women by the government, turning them into passive symbols of Islamic collectivity in Aceh.
This photograph is part of the series This Is Us (?), which offers a visual response to the challenges my female friends and I face in implementing Islamic law. I commenced the series by crafting artworks from my family archives that depict the attire of Acehnese women before the enforcement of Islamic law in Aceh. I also present a faceless portrait in response to the elimination of space for women by the government, turning them into passive symbols of Islamic collectivity in Aceh.
Kazuyoshi Usui
Japan
This photograph is part of the series showa88-99. The artist is trying to create a world of fantasy, imagining if the Showa period had continued to exist in another time and space and what kind of world it would be. The Showa period seemed to be full of the power of life. Today, Japan has become a ‘compliance’ society, where people are self-regulating and somewhat atrophied. In order to survive, there are gray zones that we cannot define as black or white. For Kazuyoshi Usui, the gray zone is what makes us human, and that is exactly what he has been exploring in this work.
This photograph is part of the series showa88-99. The artist is trying to create a world of fantasy, imagining if the Showa period had continued to exist in another time and space and what kind of world it would be. The Showa period seemed to be full of the power of life. Today, Japan has become a ‘compliance’ society, where people are self-regulating and somewhat atrophied. In order to survive, there are gray zones that we cannot define as black or white. For Kazuyoshi Usui, the gray zone is what makes us human, and that is exactly what he has been exploring in this work.
Vân-Nhi Nguyễn
Vietnam
This photograph is part of the series As You Grow Older, which represents Nguyen’s curiosity and journey into the understanding of homecoming and history through micro-narratives and mise-en-scène dreams. Through collages and hyper-real, staged documentary photographs, the idea of the contemporary person is bridged with others’ perceptions of their past and their own desires for their future.
This photograph is part of the series As You Grow Older, which represents Nguyen’s curiosity and journey into the understanding of homecoming and history through micro-narratives and mise-en-scène dreams. Through collages and hyper-real, staged documentary photographs, the idea of the contemporary person is bridged with others’ perceptions of their past and their own desires for their future.
Wei Wang
China
This photograph is part of the series Wild at Heart, a long-term photography project that Wang Wei has been working on since 2014. He draws inspiration from youth culture to translate the inner charisma and individualism of modern young people with his unique perspective. He creates a world of his own romance, freedom, and rebellion.
This photograph is part of the series Wild at Heart, a long-term photography project that Wang Wei has been working on since 2014. He draws inspiration from youth culture to translate the inner charisma and individualism of modern young people with his unique perspective. He creates a world of his own romance, freedom, and rebellion.
Willian Zou
Hungary & China, based in the United Kingdom
This photograph is part of the series Soliloquy. Exploring family archives, self-portraits, and still-life photography, Willian Zou’s series interweaves and oscillates between personal past and present.1By remapping queerness, diaspora, and family within new spatial-temporal relationships, he aims to unveil identity as a fragmented experience that continually transforms. In particular, the series sheds light on identities that are desired, disrupted, and dismissed to consider the dilemmas of belonging and becoming.
This photograph is part of the series Soliloquy. Exploring family archives, self-portraits, and still-life photography, Willian Zou’s series interweaves and oscillates between personal past and present.1By remapping queerness, diaspora, and family within new spatial-temporal relationships, he aims to unveil identity as a fragmented experience that continually transforms. In particular, the series sheds light on identities that are desired, disrupted, and dismissed to consider the dilemmas of belonging and becoming.
Xiaoxiao Xu
China, based in the Netherlands
This photograph is part of the series Ki Ki So So, which explores the tension between tradition and transformation in Ladakh, a Himalayan region shaped by climate change, militarization, and tourism. As a Chinese-born photographer in the diaspora, the artist reflects on belonging and displacement while evoking shared feelings of rootlessness. Working with medium format film, she seeks to portray a culture navigating rapid change with quiet resilience.
This photograph is part of the series Ki Ki So So, which explores the tension between tradition and transformation in Ladakh, a Himalayan region shaped by climate change, militarization, and tourism. As a Chinese-born photographer in the diaspora, the artist reflects on belonging and displacement while evoking shared feelings of rootlessness. Working with medium format film, she seeks to portray a culture navigating rapid change with quiet resilience.
Xueling Chen
China, based in the United Kingdom
This photograph is part of the series City Blue. These works stem from Xueling Chen’s personal life experiences, navigating between the intimate and the public spheres. Through the lens, she seeks connection with others, using visual storytelling to examine the complex relationships between urban nomadism, female identity, and the emotional resonance of space.
This photograph is part of the series City Blue. These works stem from Xueling Chen’s personal life experiences, navigating between the intimate and the public spheres. Through the lens, she seeks connection with others, using visual storytelling to examine the complex relationships between urban nomadism, female identity, and the emotional resonance of space.
Yao Yuan
China, based in France
This photograph is part of the series Tokyo Glimmers, which traces queer kinship through Yao Yuan’s friend journey into single motherhood and the queer circle that held her close. Made between 2018 and 2024 in Japan, these images hold soft, in-between moments. The pastel palette of lavender, dusty blue, and soft pink echoes queer histories and gestures toward fluid, self-authored ways of being. In a world clinging to binaries, the work holds space for lives unfolding in queer time and radical softness.
This photograph is part of the series Tokyo Glimmers, which traces queer kinship through Yao Yuan’s friend journey into single motherhood and the queer circle that held her close. Made between 2018 and 2024 in Japan, these images hold soft, in-between moments. The pastel palette of lavender, dusty blue, and soft pink echoes queer histories and gestures toward fluid, self-authored ways of being. In a world clinging to binaries, the work holds space for lives unfolding in queer time and radical softness.
Ying Ang
Singapore, based in Australia
This photograph is part of the series Fruiting Bodies, which challenges the fetishisation of fertility through intimate, quiet portraits of mushrooms—creatures that thrive through collaboration rather than domination. This work documents mushrooms as symbols of survival, pointing to their ability to sustain life through reciprocity rather than dominance, and reframing the post-reproductive period as an evolutionary adaptation—an extension of life beyond fertility for the transmission of knowledge and oral history, namely storytelling.
This photograph is part of the series Fruiting Bodies, which challenges the fetishisation of fertility through intimate, quiet portraits of mushrooms—creatures that thrive through collaboration rather than domination. This work documents mushrooms as symbols of survival, pointing to their ability to sustain life through reciprocity rather than dominance, and reframing the post-reproductive period as an evolutionary adaptation—an extension of life beyond fertility for the transmission of knowledge and oral history, namely storytelling.
Ziyi Le
Hangzhou, China
This photograph is part of the series New Comer. Ziyi Le grew up with little communication with his parents, which led to a deep sense of alienation. In 2020, he moved to Hangzhou—partly to pursue photography, but also to escape. At first, life improved: a better job, a stable income, and distance from home. But over time, he felt stuck in a routine, overwhelmed by pressure to succeed. Like many newcomers in big cities, he became anxious about money, housing, and the future. This led him to think about people like myself—those who had moved to unfamiliar places.
This photograph is part of the series New Comer. Ziyi Le grew up with little communication with his parents, which led to a deep sense of alienation. In 2020, he moved to Hangzhou—partly to pursue photography, but also to escape. At first, life improved: a better job, a stable income, and distance from home. But over time, he felt stuck in a routine, overwhelmed by pressure to succeed. Like many newcomers in big cities, he became anxious about money, housing, and the future. This led him to think about people like myself—those who had moved to unfamiliar places.
THE GRANTEES
As part of the initiative, PhotoVogue has also awarded three special grants to outstanding participants:
$4,500 – Outstanding Vision Grant
Awarded to an artist whose work redefines creative boundaries and sets new artistic standards: Adam Han-Chun Lin (Taiwan).
$2,000 – Vision Grant
Awarded to an artist with a unique perspective and a strong artistic voice: Keigo Wezel (Japan).
$1,500 – Rising Voice Grant
Awarded to a promising artist whose work shows originality and strong potential: Narantsetseg Khuyagaa (Mongolia).
The announcements are not over yet: in collaboration with Vogue Japan and Vogue Taiwan, further exciting activations are coming soon. We will soon discover the artists selected from the “open call within the open call” for Vogue Japan, as well as the names of those chosen for PhotoVogue’s first-ever Masterclass in Asia, organized with Vogue Taiwan in Taipei.
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Stay tuned for these next milestones, as PhotoVogue continues to foster new talent, nurture diverse perspectives, and expand the boundaries of visual storytelling worldwide. The selected artists will present their work at the PhotoVogue Festival in Milan, March 2026—an unmissable occasion to celebrate the power of images and the creative voices shaping our shared future.
This article was originally published on Vogue.com.
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