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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present.

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Another ruin I, 2023

Meng-Yu Yan

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2024 Finalist

pigment photographic print on paper (frame: 86.7cm x 62.2cm depth 3.8cm)

Meng-Yu Yan
born Australia 1992

Another ruin I 2023
pigment photographic print on paper

‘What is the place of photography in a world over-saturated with images? Instead of creating, I wanted to destroy my images, to delete everything on my camera roll. Inspired by queer photographer Jimmy DeSana, I turned to my photographs with a knife and began to cut into them. Queer representation and identity politics has become tokenising and flat. I wanted to rip into the surface of the image to reach something deeper. Photography as a medium can sometimes feel distant and removed, but here, cutting into the surface of my own image became hands-on and personal.’

Meng-Yu Yan 颜梦钰 is a queer, non-binary, Australian/Chinese artist based on Wallumedegal Land in Sydney, best known for their creation of mystical dreamscapes and haunting self portraits.

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2024

Other NPPP photos from Meng-Yu Yan

Margaux, 2021 Meng-Yu Yan
2023 Finalist
© National Portrait Gallery 2024
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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.

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