Lean Lui is a 20 year old self-taught photographer from Hong Kong. She sees photography as a way to build her own Utopia. Her works are sensitive, metaphoric, emotional and dreamy. Flow By Nature is Lean’s first solo exhibition. As she said: “I am still learning and exploring”.
About ‘The Time Goes By‘:
The Time Goes By, a series inspired by and dedicated to the photographer’s septuagenarian grandmother.
Lui recalls the incident that sparked the idea for the series. “There was one time when I did her makeup, dressed her up, and took some photos of her. Everyone who saw the photos said she looked beautiful. I thought she’d be so happy, but it made her sad. She felt like all of her friends had aged gracefully. But when she looked at herself, she felt like she hadn’t. She felt her appearances now were worlds away from the beauty of her younger days.”
I decided to share the Japanese idea of wabi-sabi with her grandmother. This philosophy embraces aging and the imperfections that come with it, believing that the true essence of beauty lies in authenticity. “If you want to look like your younger self again, that’s impossible,” I told her. “But what you have now is wisdom and life experience, and I believe that the unconditional love you have for our family now is the most beautiful thing about you.”
