WENSHU KAN

Cluster Photography & Print Exhibitor | Rising Talent Showcase | 2025

Wenshu Kan, born in 1992, graduated from the University of the Arts London with an MA in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography (2024). She is a photographer of Chinese origin, currently based in Europe. Her work emerges from an exploration of the complex and often contradictory relationship between identity and ideologies. Drawing from her Chinese heritage and her experiences of living in Europe, she navigates both ‘insider’ and ‘outsider’ perspectives, allowing her to examine the hidden and unspoken pain that arises from power dynamics, identity fragmentation, cultural conflicts, and personal disconnection from dominant ideologies.

Through themes such as political control, nostalgia, and faith, she highlights the deep and intangible struggles faced by individuals and communities. Blending documentary photography with abstract and conceptual methods, she creates narratives that intertwine human stories with philosophical reflections, evoking a shared resonance with these unspoken pains. Her work not only illustrates how ideology shapes emotions and identity but also seeks to uncover a universal humanity that transcends cultural, historical, and political boundaries.

"Most People Are Other People" reflects Oscar Wilde’s insight into how collective forces shape personal identity. The first part of the project uses red cloth—a powerful cultural and political symbol in China—to represent imposed roles, hidden identities, and the sensory deprivation experienced under restrictive social norms. The red cloth obscures personal features, conveying self-doubt, insecurity, and the struggle for self-definition.

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Transitioning into stark black-and-white imagery, the work further examines existential alienation and the loss of individuality. Wrapped figures and expressionless mannequins evoke isolation and spiritual emptiness, embodying both believer and betrayer. Each figure simultaneously represents faith and its erosion, suggesting the internal struggle between personal belief and societal conformity.

Together, these symbolic representations question whether genuine identity can survive amid powerful cultural and political expectations.