In response to my previous project “Touch” which I started during an artist in residence at The Chinese European Art centre in Xiamen, China, in 2014 I was approached by Jurek Wajdowicz - artist and director of Graphic design studio Emerson & Wajdowicz Studios to produce an extensive photography project about the LGBTQ - community in China. EWS specializes in socially-conscious multi-media design and art. They design a series of photography books Diverse Humanity, completely devoted to LGBTQ-themed stories, showcasing the rich diversity and complexity of its communities around the world. The book will be published by The New Press.

In September 2019 I traveled to Xiamen to start this project. I portrayed 14 young lesbian and gay individuals (couples and singles). I found all of them through my existing network in Xiamen and we got into contact through. Apart from the photographs I took of these subjects and their personal surroundings, I also interviewed them about their life, love and also, their personal fears. Because of the pandemic I haven’t been able to return to Xiamen.
This is why, two years after my trip to Xiamen, I decided that I should continue the project in the Netherlands, photographing young Chinese people from the LGBTQ community here. I recently completed the project and the book is currently in the design process. The book “Solace” will be published by The New Press in New York and the release will be after the summer.

This is the link to order Solace: https://thenewpress.com/books/solace