ANNIE LAI is a Chinese fashion photographer based between London and Shanghai. Coming from a mixed cultural background, she found a subtle balance between Asian and Western aesthetics in her work. Her photography celebrates the art of intimacy with an eye for fleeting, unique moments.


ABOUT THE SERIES
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Born in New Zealand and raised in China, Annie returned to New Zealand alone at the age of 16 to attend high school. After graduation, she moved to London and has been living there ever since. As a “third-culture” kid, she has always felt a sense of flux while growing up, which led her to contemplate the ideas of home, belonging, and cultural identity. Since 2018, in an effort to build a community and better understand herself, she reached out to other young Chinese diasporas in London who shared similar experiences and photographed them. These photos, captured in the sitters’ “temporary homes” in London, reflect a candid and intimate approach. Most of them left home upon coming of age, and while assimilating into a completely different society, they lived and grew with resilience. As the UK enters the post-Brexit and post-pandemic era, Annie is also interested in exploring the shifts and impacts on the Chinese international student community concerning immigration, all while navigating her own journey toward obtaining permanent residency in the UK.