A football fan, an artist, a chef and a student are intimately bound together in photographer Naomi Wong’s latest photobook, 後生仔 young man. Shot with family members or in childhood bedrooms in front of collaged walls and plastic action figures, Wong documents the personal lives of British Chinese men. This collection invokes memory and nostalgia to platform the previously “absent Chinese male in British Culture” as Wong puts it and break the harmful stereotypes associated with East Asian men in British media.
An ode to her own father, this photobook is as deeply personal for Wong as it is for her subjects and her truest labour of familial and communal love to date. While the photographs may be uniquely intimate, bound together, the photobook traverses the complexities of dual identities; the relationship between people and place; and nostalgia. This result reveals the deeply moving power of photographs as harbingers of memory, with the capacity to reveal something previously absent or long forgotten.
A few years on from her last interview with METAL, we were grateful to reconnect and regroup with Naomi to indulge in nostalgia for a minute to chat about this latest release and track how her practice has developed over time. 後生仔, is out now, and you can keep up to date with Naomi’s latest projects on her Instagram.
The last time we interviewed you, you were a year out of university and already gaining traction in your photography career. What have been the standout moments of your career since that interview? What accolades or projects are you most proud of or have been most influential?
I feel very lucky, I think just being commissioned and being able to take photos for a living has been a blessing. It was not something I could imagine myself making a career out of when I was sixteen so I am extremely grateful for that. It is definitely still a work in progress for me. There have been some challenges the past two years and I think it shows the state of the economy can really change everything in an instance. I work a part-time job in luxury retail to pay my bills and I’m not mad about that at all, as much as I would love to freelance full time. I think it’s even lucky to be able to work a job that funds all the creative passions I have. I would say this project [後生仔] is something I am very proud of; it is so personal and intimate to me and has been in development for over two years with lots of back and forth in-between. There have been moments where I thought about stopping and quitting because at certain times I fell completely out of love with photography and I wasn’t sure why I was doing it anymore. But I think when you work on something so close to your heart, you are reminded of why you enjoy doing it in the first place and that’s enough to keep you going. I would be a very different person altogether if I didn’t keep pursuing the thing I love.
Has your approach to photography changed in any way since you last spoke to METAL?
I think my practice has always been quite people focused and shooting portraits is a very social thing. I feel more confident in myself as I’ve got older and I think that has helped my approach develop over the last couple of years. I know that may sound a little pretentious, but I do feel there has been a lot of personal growth and changes. I’ve worked on more projects and commissions and you learn a lot from each of those. You get a better understanding of things — you figure out what works and doesn’t work for you and can learn from your mistakes. I find that I am more comfortable in myself now, my interactions with the people I photograph, I feel more assured and I am so much more clear with what I want. I really enjoy the time spent with whoever I am photographing even if it’s for a short amount of time. You try to build a relationship with them for how many minutes or hours, you get to know them and have them open up to you, [which] is so important. I think that’s what makes a good portrait or image. You’re not just making someone look cool or beautiful, you actually want people to feel a connection to the subject.
Your latest project is a photography book entitled 後生仔 young man. Could you tell us a bit about why you chose the experience of young Chinese men in Britain as the subject of the book?
My parents have lived apart for many years and I was raised mainly by my mum in England alongside my older sister. My dad (who lives in Hong Kong) and I have not had a very close relationship over the years until recently. But throughout my childhood, despite being separated for some time, I remember the stories I would hear about him when he was younger. As I’ve got older, I realised these stories have made me piece together more about him. Especially when he was younger and came to England in the eighties to study in English before going to university in Salford. I find that [my] parents don’t share snippets of their lives unless you really ask them to. I was back home in Scunthorpe over Christmas a few years ago and my auntie (my dad’s sister) found a bag full of photos that were almost thrown into a skip. She managed to rescue them and gave them to me because they were old photos of mainly my dad in the eighties. I had never seen them before and I felt like I was learning so much about my dad through these lost photos. The more I thought about them, the more I was curious about his life in the UK at the time. The other inspiration were my memories of growing up with my older male cousins at my uncle’s takeaway in the early to mid 2000s before my mum decided to settle in the North. It was in a really small predominantly white village by the marshes in Kent and each of us were pretty much the token kid at our schools.
Drawing from these anecdotes I realised that the British Chinese experience doesn’t really exist in [mainstream] UK culture and the media or its portrayal of East Asian men has been deeply embedded in negative stereotypes. I have always wondered what their experiences were like growing up here and how they navigated their sense of identity and belonging as well as the expectations of being male in our culture. The subjects are a mix of those who were like myself, born and raised in the UK and some who either migrated to the country at a young age or came here for university and have settled for some time. Despite all of us having been raised within very different backgrounds, we could all relate to the feeling of not quite fully belonging to this country that we may call home but have a slight, bittersweet affinity for. I wanted to create a set of intimate portraits of various young men to fill in the blanks of the absent Chinese male in British culture and celebrate them as being a son, a brother, a lover and a friend. I knew from very early on it would always end up becoming a book. Originally it was just going to be photos but I wanted to give more of a voice to the subjects and pairing quotes, having short interviews match the portraits really seemed to celebrate them more individually.
Drawing from these anecdotes I realised that the British Chinese experience doesn’t really exist in [mainstream] UK culture and the media or its portrayal of East Asian men has been deeply embedded in negative stereotypes. I have always wondered what their experiences were like growing up here and how they navigated their sense of identity and belonging as well as the expectations of being male in our culture. The subjects are a mix of those who were like myself, born and raised in the UK and some who either migrated to the country at a young age or came here for university and have settled for some time. Despite all of us having been raised within very different backgrounds, we could all relate to the feeling of not quite fully belonging to this country that we may call home but have a slight, bittersweet affinity for. I wanted to create a set of intimate portraits of various young men to fill in the blanks of the absent Chinese male in British culture and celebrate them as being a son, a brother, a lover and a friend. I knew from very early on it would always end up becoming a book. Originally it was just going to be photos but I wanted to give more of a voice to the subjects and pairing quotes, having short interviews match the portraits really seemed to celebrate them more individually.
How does the experience of a Chinese-British man differ from that of a Chinese-British woman? What are the different cultural expectations?
There is an equal amount of pressure for both sexes of course but some experiences are entirely different. Traditionally men typically have more power than women and are usually seen as the breadwinning, decision makers. I also think emotionally, men are not expected or encouraged to open up about their feelings and you always have to appear strong and resilient for your family. The discussions I had with some of my subjects really opened my eyes to that. There was so much they wanted to say to their parents but couldn't because they didn't want them to worry at the same time so it's considered best to just pretend things are fine. There are so many expectations put on them whether it's about their career or their relationships — when are you going to settle down and have a family etc? It’s quite an old fashion trope that women cannot carry the surname of a family so men have always been favoured and are seen as more superior because of this. It’s less about this now but I know it still exists beneath the surface in more conservative views. I think what is shared between both sexes are the stereotypes and depictions of both Chinese men and women. Actually, not just Chinese but most ESEA (East, South East Asian) women are fetishised or highly sexualised, whereas ESEA men are seen as less masculine than their counterparts. It’s all extremely dangerous and it’s something that needs to be highlighted. But I think there has been more progress recently for the ESEA community as a whole. There’s been slightly more exposure and representation in culture over the years, which has helped break out of these negative and harmful ideas.
The portraits in the book, are they photographs of friends and family members? I know you often take photos of friends so do you find the experience of shooting loved ones different to shooting strangers? In what ways?
So, originally I had plans to work with a casting director who I really wanted to work with but I was eventually ghosted after months of emailing back and forth. At first it felt like a huge set back and I was so embarrassed but it became more clear over time that it was really a blessing in disguise. I think the dynamic of the project would have been very different.
It started off with my friend, textile artist and graphic designer Chun Yin-Chan who also designed the titles of the cover. I photographed him alongside his dad in his childhood home in York, North Yorkshire. Chun and I have a similar upbringing having both been raised for a short period of time in Hong Kong and then making a big jump to growing up in a Northern town. I spent the day hanging out with Chun and his parents. His mum, Poling cooked lunch and it was so nice feeling like I was at home eating with my own family. I also photographed his brother, Victor who is a photographer and a friend. The only family member I featured is my nephew, Owen who’s moved to London to study medicine and it’s quite surreal photographing someone who you used to remember crawling around! For the remaining boys, I cast some of them through Instagram (as curated as our Instagram presence may be, I found it really helpful in gauging what kind of characters they are) and a few I was introduced to by mutual friends.
I think shooting with Chun first helped set up the basis of how I wanted to photograph each subject — which was at their home. It really helped discourage me from feeling nervous about shooting with strangers. To be within their personal space is always so intimate and comforting. I also always find that people tend to open up more when they are at home. I really appreciated how vulnerable each subject was with me, I never pushed or prodded for certain answers or stories I wanted to hear. It was always conversations that were driven naturally and I have felt very moved by everyone I have photographed, having spent time with each person and hearing them share their stories. It made me feel very welcomed to be a part of their worlds and coming to realise our shared experiences in this country are so universal.
I really love the mix of subjects I photographed. There’s Bo Sun who’s a very talented sculptor and artist, Tai who I bonded with over our shared experience of family owned takeaways and has become a close friend of mine, Qiu who is Italian born Chinese and moved to London when he was nineteen to work as a chef. Jun, a football fan, was quite crucial for the project as I've noticed there are a lot of Chinese football enthusiasts in the UK but they don’t seem to be prominently represented in British football culture.
I would have really loved to photograph the cousins I grew up with and who partly inspired the idea for this project but they are all in Hong Kong now and one of them is even married with kids! It’s really funny to remember them as these teenagers playing Devil May Cry on the PS2 until 3am and fighting over who gets to use the computer. I’ll definitely get around to shooting them in the future, it would be a really sweet full circle moment.
It started off with my friend, textile artist and graphic designer Chun Yin-Chan who also designed the titles of the cover. I photographed him alongside his dad in his childhood home in York, North Yorkshire. Chun and I have a similar upbringing having both been raised for a short period of time in Hong Kong and then making a big jump to growing up in a Northern town. I spent the day hanging out with Chun and his parents. His mum, Poling cooked lunch and it was so nice feeling like I was at home eating with my own family. I also photographed his brother, Victor who is a photographer and a friend. The only family member I featured is my nephew, Owen who’s moved to London to study medicine and it’s quite surreal photographing someone who you used to remember crawling around! For the remaining boys, I cast some of them through Instagram (as curated as our Instagram presence may be, I found it really helpful in gauging what kind of characters they are) and a few I was introduced to by mutual friends.
I think shooting with Chun first helped set up the basis of how I wanted to photograph each subject — which was at their home. It really helped discourage me from feeling nervous about shooting with strangers. To be within their personal space is always so intimate and comforting. I also always find that people tend to open up more when they are at home. I really appreciated how vulnerable each subject was with me, I never pushed or prodded for certain answers or stories I wanted to hear. It was always conversations that were driven naturally and I have felt very moved by everyone I have photographed, having spent time with each person and hearing them share their stories. It made me feel very welcomed to be a part of their worlds and coming to realise our shared experiences in this country are so universal.
I really love the mix of subjects I photographed. There’s Bo Sun who’s a very talented sculptor and artist, Tai who I bonded with over our shared experience of family owned takeaways and has become a close friend of mine, Qiu who is Italian born Chinese and moved to London when he was nineteen to work as a chef. Jun, a football fan, was quite crucial for the project as I've noticed there are a lot of Chinese football enthusiasts in the UK but they don’t seem to be prominently represented in British football culture.
I would have really loved to photograph the cousins I grew up with and who partly inspired the idea for this project but they are all in Hong Kong now and one of them is even married with kids! It’s really funny to remember them as these teenagers playing Devil May Cry on the PS2 until 3am and fighting over who gets to use the computer. I’ll definitely get around to shooting them in the future, it would be a really sweet full circle moment.
What has been your personal experience growing up in a dual Chinese-British culture? How has it influenced your sense of identity and home?
It’s always been this weird in-between feeling like you don’t belong to either culture. I have never been British or Chinese enough in the eyes of some people and that is something that has always been so conflicting. But I think when your identity is so embedded in two completely different cultures, you somehow try your best to retain both or feel more connected to the other. I do definitely feel closer to my Chinese identity because even though I sound the way I do (which is a very English accent) I will always be the other and that’s something I have accepted since childhood and that I’ve grown to be really proud of. There was some racism I experienced as a kid and that really stays with you but it never made me feel any less of a person. There was definitely a short period when I was around eight years old where I wanted to speak English more because somehow that felt more superior? And that already in itself is so messed up since I was only a child and to even think that is quite horrifying. But I am lucky to have realised that isn’t right and for my mum and my family to keep reminding me we should be happy with ourselves and I am really grateful I can still speak Cantonese and stay connected to my family, especially my 100 year old grandma and Hong Kong. Both places are home to me now and I have made peace with a lot of things about my dual identity and it feels good.
You grew up in Scunthorpe but now live in London, obviously two quite culturally different parts of Britain! What is your relationship to these two places?
I spent the ages of five to ten in Kent in the South of England before I moved to Scunthorpe with my mum and my sister. So, I sadly don’t have a Northern accent except when I pronounce certain words whereas my sister who grew up in Doncaster sounds proper Northern. People are always so surprised when I tell them I’m from there and I get a lot of passing comments about how bad of a place it is. But I really don’t see Scunthorpe like that, I still feel a connection to it because I have all these memories growing up there and I still have my family and friendships from childhood which are really special to me. I feel like when you are raised in a small town, you learn to appreciate things a lot more and there’s a tighter sense of community in the North which I just don’t think you get in the South. I think the North and South divide (social and economical) in the UK is very real and it’s never been fair. I sometimes feel like because I don't have the accent, I am treated slightly differently. As much as I miss the North I also feel like I couldn’t stay there forever and that literally says it all about the divide! I hope the London centric bubble doesn’t last forever and that there will be more opportunities in the North. London is definitely home right now and I guess it is where my life is right now but Scunthorpe is my hometown in the UK. I don’t prefer one over the other but when I go home to see my family, it feels like a nice break from the city and I feel freer.
How have you found it living as a young creative in London? Do you find it a particularly inspiring city for emerging artists?
Financially I think it has become increasingly more difficult. Since Covid I know a lot of people who have moved out of the city to places that are just an hour away outside of town for spaces that are bigger and cheaper. A lot of places I used to hang out in or party at have either been shut down or pushed out by rent increases in favour of property developments and big corporate companies who can afford it. London is not great at loving back the people who live there. So it’s not the same as it was before and I do feel sad that there are aspects of the culture and nightlife that are now gone. That doesn’t mean the creative energy in the city has died though, there are still a lot of interesting creatives which proves I guess that it’s the people who make the city inspiring and not necessarily the physical spaces that exist.
Nostalgia is a central motif throughout your work — I definitely get that final summer after high school sense in a lot of your photos, which I love! How has your view of nostalgia changed as you’ve got slightly older, are you still so drawn to it?
I’m so jaded now honestly. I’m kidding (laughs). I am still drawn to it, I really miss so many things in the past, but maybe I am a little less sentimental now then I was. I think I appreciate more that certain things have happened than want to go back to it again. There are some aspects of this project that are nostalgic in terms of photographing some of the objects and belongings some of the subjects have. Like Tai with his collection of Pokemon toys and Chun’s Doraemon alarm clock from his childhood. It’s really nice to have that because it tells you something about the person and what they loved when they were younger. And things like that we can potentially bond over and relate to on another level.
I have two personal projects I would like to explore next which both dig into the past slightly but are more focused on the present. One about my mum which I would also like to make into a book. I have this uneasy anxiety in the back of my head about my parents growing older and seeing the physical change over time. So I want to create something with them that we can keep as a record and reminder. I know for a fact already if I don’t photograph them now I will regret it down the line. The other will focus on my dad and I’d like to potentially present it as a short film or documentary alongside stills. I find creating work that is so personal to me more fulfilling than anything and in some ways it feels like therapy. I’ve been able to piece certain things together for myself and feel more connected to the people in the images more than ever.
I have two personal projects I would like to explore next which both dig into the past slightly but are more focused on the present. One about my mum which I would also like to make into a book. I have this uneasy anxiety in the back of my head about my parents growing older and seeing the physical change over time. So I want to create something with them that we can keep as a record and reminder. I know for a fact already if I don’t photograph them now I will regret it down the line. The other will focus on my dad and I’d like to potentially present it as a short film or documentary alongside stills. I find creating work that is so personal to me more fulfilling than anything and in some ways it feels like therapy. I’ve been able to piece certain things together for myself and feel more connected to the people in the images more than ever.
Why do you tend towards photographing people rather than non-portrait photography?
One of my friends recently said I seem to really love people and I don’t know why it surprised me the way it did because obviously sometimes I don’t! But I realised it’s true. I do really enjoy photographing people and I think that is all I want to do. I don’t have anything against landscapes or still life — that would be crazy because they both can be beautiful! But I think I am always interested in the people I meet and portraits are a type of storytelling I love the most.
I know you have worked on short films in the past. Are you currently working on, or would you like to pursue, any other creative projects beyond photography?
Besides from the future documentary project focusing on my dad I definitely want to go back to making short films soon. I’ve been wanting to direct a music video for the longest time and I am in the process of directing my first music video for alt post-punk Northern trio The Vouchers in the next month or so. The song is called Dead History, it’s my favourite song from their [latest] album and I love that it’s so open to interpretation. For me it feels like a song about having all these regrets or memories but learning to kind of live with them and in some ways appreciating and looking back on what you’ve learnt from it in a bittersweet way. It's also very early stages but I’d like to set up a mini publishing house where I can curate, design and print photo books by other photographers. I’m really over Instagram being the only place to share photos when it should exist out of digital spaces and be presented on paper. It’s always so much more exciting to have something in person. You strangely feel more accomplished when you can touch something.
Do you have any tips for prospective photographers in the early stages of their career?
Keep shooting and try new and different things! Don’t jump from one photographic trend to another and follow what everyone else is doing. Take your time developing your sense of style in your work, don’t rush and remember it’s always okay to make mistakes. Look at photographers, directors and artists you admire and see what or who they are influenced by. Watch films from all over the world and from different time periods. I have always loved the feeling of discovering a film you become so infatuated with because it opens a window to a whole other world you never imagined existed. The one lesson I wish I knew when I first started is to not compare your own journey to others. Everyone’s experiences are entirely different and you will always find your way even if it may take a little longer than expected.
Finally, in your last interview with METAL, you told us you’d “like to run around a country again.” So, have you had the chance for any more cross-border frolicking since then? Any new stories to tell?
I have! But nothing as crazy as before. I’m not twenty anymore, I can’t sleep on a park bench or jump on a seven-hour train to save money. I just want a nice mattress for my back and I will pay a little extra to fly (laughs). But, I have had some really fun adventures. I spent a month in South Korea last winter, my best friend Chris lives there with his fiancé. I had a pretty good commission the year before so I saved that money and rented a place out there. It was fun to relocate for a short period of time and just be alone exploring a new place, it felt like an alternate reality. I also reconnected with old friends in New York one summer in 2022 after having not visited since 2016. My favourite trip most recently was visiting Italy for the first time last September where I spent time in Florence and Rome. So much of it was so beautiful and steeped in history. I think the most special trip I have had was returning back to Hong Kong for the first time in ten years this May and reconnecting with family and friends who I hadn’t seen in a decade. It was strange returning to certain places that have remained the same but you feel entirely different, like the cafe my mum has been taking me to since I was a baby. I used to always follow my mum around whenever I went back to Hong Kong so this was the first time I got to spend time there as an adult. I spent some days alone and it was just so moving to feel this sense of home that is so familiar — the sounds, the food and even the air. It kind of felt like a warm welcome home hug.
