Atelier 20 photographie

Dion can't tell a lie. The 26-year-old made a name for herself by exhibiting at the 2022 Hong Kong International Photo Festival in her home city APAPPAN. In it, she describes her experiences during the COVID19 period in a very realistic way. As Westerners, we have a skewed view of censorship. Remember, China broadcast Philippe Katerine's performance at the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. It's good to know that this passage was censored in the USA. Yet it is with a more daring realism than Nan Goldin that Dion expresses the intimacy of his sexual relations, without lapsing into pornography, we find the subtle materials of the origin of the world, what Courbet did to painting, Dion does to photography. There's a certain humility about it, far removed from the antics of a Mapplethorpe. On Instagram, the meeting was immediate and very simple. Beyond the artistic encounter, Dion is interested in politics, and her visit will be an opportunity for the Pyrenees to engage in a cultural exchange. She will be delighted to talk to you in person during her visit to l'atelier20.

This is an ongoing project documenting people who sparked a firework in my life. it was created based on my intimate sexual experience with Chan, Sabrina, and Osada Steve. They all come from different backgrounds and professions (e.g. photographer, tattoo-artist/ contemporary dancer, Shibari master).

This series of pictures documents the bodily expressions before and after our interactions. I am fascinated by this experience of having a truly naked conversation. I see photography and sexual intimacy are rather the same thing. You cannot hide anything when you have sex with someone. You cannot lie about yourself when you present your pictures. I would see this process of photographing the people in nude as a way to mutually open our hearts to each other separately. This series of pictures was taken solemnly on several quiet nights with each other. We never know what we are like when in the middle of a situation, but things become clearer when we step behind. For me, photography has become a “third eye” on my life, and my ongoing relationships with people around me.

Dion Leung