Wenshu Kan
Photojournalism and Documentary Photography MA
London College of Communication UAL
Specialisms: Photography
Location: London, United Kingdom
Wenshu Kan
First Name: Wenshu
Last Name: Kan
Specialisms: Photography
Sectors:
My Location: London, United Kingdom
University / College: London College of Communication UAL
Course / Program Title: Photojournalism and Documentary Photography MA
About
Wenshu Kan is a photographer with a Chinese background, currently based in Europe. Her work emerges from examining the complex and often contradictory relationship between identity and ideologies. Drawing from her Chinese heritage and her experiences living in Europe, she navigates both ‘insider’ and ‘outsider’ perspectives, allowing her to explore the hidden and unspoken pain that stems from power dynamics, identity fragmentation, cultural conflicts, and personal disconnection with dominant ideologies.
Through themes like political control, nostalgia, and faith, she highlights the deep and intangible struggles faced by individuals and communities. By blending documentary photography with abstract and conceptual methods, she creates narratives that weave together human stories and philosophical insights, evoking a shared resonance with these unpresentable pains.
Her work not only illustrates how ideology shapes emotions and identity, but also seeks to uncover a universal humanity that transcends cultural, historical, and political boundaries.
18% Grey tells the story of my cousin, who went missing more than ten years ago. He was the only child of my aunt and uncle, who have never stopped searching for him. Their pain reflects that of many families in China affected by the One-Child Policy. The title comes from photography—18% grey is used to measure light, but here it stands for the in-between state these families live in, caught between hope and despair, never knowing whether to grieve or keep waiting.
Competitions
