"I have a love-hate relationship with non-conformity. I’m naturally drawn to it because, growing up, I wasn’t allowed to express myself freely."
Artist: Morrison Gong
Project: Bridging the Physical and the Spiritual
Kiko: You capture your subjects with an unfiltered gaze, an honest and defiant look. There seems to be a lot of trust and also clarity, nothing is hidden from your lens. How do you relate to your subjects and how do the photos come to be? Are they pre-planned, are they spontaneous? How’s your artistic process to achieve these images?
Morrison Gong: Photography is my way of communing with God. My subjects are my mirrors. They are representations of God just as much as I am. While I have frameworks and concepts when it comes to planning, my process is very intuitive. I typically choose a location and begin observing. I’m not interested in posed pictures. I prefer capturing movements, in-between moments, and the ways people interact with their environments. My photography is about bridging the inner world with the outer world.
K: Your work approaches themes such as identity, gender, sexuality, the body, but also people that are alternative, ‘different’ from the norms of society. Is it a conscious choice to explore these themes?
M: I have a love-hate relationship with non-conformity. I’m naturally drawn to it because, growing up, I wasn’t allowed to express myself freely. I’ve always admired pure self-expression. When I first started creating nude portraitures, my focus was on documenting the outcasts and the misfits. But over time, I discovered that people chase eccentricity for the wrong reasons. Just because you have a shocking or aesthetically pleasing appearance doesn’t mean you understand yourself. I still find people with unique styles fascinating, but now I know what’s truly important is invisible to the eye. I find compassion, curiosity, patience far more appealing than surface-level controversies. I believe compassion is the real antidote to systemic oppression.
K: What’s your relationship with your models? Are they close people, professional models, people you meet? How do you choose who to photograph and how to capture them?
MG: My models are a combination of friends, acquaintances, crushes, and sometimes strangers. Spiritual alignment plays a key role. I don’t make a choice, rather, I simply attune myself to my inner voice. It guides me, nudging me when the right person and the right opportunity arise. I always recognize a freak when I see one.
K: How does your Chinese origin and background impact your work? Do you have any influences that stem from it, be it visual or conceptual?
MG: Absolutely. I’m a big fan of Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese practice of harmonizing your inner world with your surroundings. Taoism also influences me deeply. Taoists believe in spiritual immortality and that we are all expressions of universal intelligence. We are interconnected and inseparable. The land we stand on, the houses we live in, all have their own consciousness and memories. I often feel the colonial violence inscribed on the body, the trees and the rocks, the river and the soil. I think of my practice as healing, purifying, and restoring the balance for self, others and the land as extension.
© Morrison Gong
Editor : Kiko