In her work, Gangao Lang alternates fragments of landscapes with a series of digitally reworked portraits of her friend Li Wanyue, as the theme for the second edition of the awards was Woman-Women Faces. Titled Second Self-Introduction, the series is driven by Lang’s “intuitive point of view,” which is translated into geometric objects, as well as her “subconscious mind,” she says. “You know, every time you do something new, your friends, family and surroundings will realize that there’s something new about you,” the photographer explains about the series’ title. “Different experiences will end up in different results.

Playing with light, geometry and chromaticism, the photographer’s work calls for a more symbolic reading. The intimacy allowed by shadows and darker hues, the mystery behind a very detailed closeup or the constant use of the circle – the traditional symbol for eternity –, make Gangao Lang’s oeuvre seem mature yet still fresh, exploring its many possibilities. Despite her achievement, which will help the Chinese artist land more exhibitions in her promising future, we can’t forget she’s studying at the Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts, where she’ll be graduating from this year – “I’m quite excited!,” she says enthusiastically.

As a young artist, she believes new technologies, cultural events and new ways of understanding photography will lead to an evolution of the medium. “We need a new way to write our story,” she says. Now, she’s writing her own by exploring “a kind of way to link the observed facts together from different angles, in different languages.”