RAW Talent with Manyi Chan
Having a tendency for introversion and quiet observing, Hong Kong-born photography student Manyi Chan leans into these personality traits with her work. This has resulted in a unique, quiet personal expression in her images, in which she explores topics like her own relationship with food, sexual fantasy, and violence within her specific cultural context as an East Asian woman. We had a talk with Manyi about how she is finding her voice as a photographer, who she looks up to, and what advice she has for others just entering the world of photography. Tell us, how did you first get interested in photography as a form of artistic expression? Since middle school, I’ve been an extremely introverted person, spending much of my time alone and in silence, observing the surroundings and researching material, texture, functionality, and composition of things around me. My interest in photography appeared to come naturally. When I first got a smartphone in high school, I began to take pictures everywhere and intend to record all the intricacies of life that I …