Lee Lin Chin, stylesetter and former broadcaster, was born in Indonesia and raised in Singapore, where in 1968 she began working in television and radio. After arriving in Australia in 1980 she worked as a translator of Chinese language films and with ABC radio in Darwin and Newcastle before joining SBS as a newsreader in 1988, gaining devoted viewers through her stern delivery and superbly cut tops and jackets. As host of the network's Fashionista program she built a reputation as a style authority, in 2008 curating the National Archives of Australia exhibition of historical fashion photographs, Strike a Pose … With Lee Lin Chin. Known also as a comedian and a voice for social change, she has a huge social media following although she posts little, if anything, herself, retaining an intriguing air of mystery. Among the causes Chin supports is The Social Studio, dedicated to creating employment and educational pathways for young people who have been refugees.
George Fetting approached Chin with the idea of photographing her in 'geisha' style. Fetting took this photograph in a patch of natural light in a corner near the SBS cafeteria, the station's employees passing by without raising an eyebrow at the fashionista's bandeau of Indian silk. Chin states that she likes the portrait 'because it's so unashamedly attention-grabbing – which isn't me at all'.
Gift of the artist 2021
© George Fetting/Copyright Agency, 2024
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