Conceptual nominee

Coined by Thomas More 500 years ago, the concept of "utopia" has undergone several layers of transformations as society progressed and dominant ideologies gradually shifted with time. Yet, at its core, it remains as a state that eliminates manifestations of impurity to offer an ideal and copious landscape. While my interest towards this subject was born out of a perpetual desire for perfectionism, this project is not an attempt to embrace personal yearnings. Perhaps somewhat similar to a work of literature or even a sociological theory that seeks to delineate what a utopia constitutes, this photography project draws on interdisciplinary fields to satirize the radicalized expressions of utopianism. Given any utopia's powers to rebrand existing human behaviors, this project also addresses how idealistic visions can quickly escalate into dystopian ones and that such preferred realities are mere facades susceptible to individual differences or the basic instincts of self-preservation. In short, "Utopian Visions" is a series of picture-perfect representations that explores the concept of utopianism using the photographic medium.

Tianqi Liao was born in China and spent several years in the UK before beginning her studies at New York University in journalism and media. After graduating in 2019, she joined Bronx Documentary Center as the Development and Communications Coordinator to assist with non-profit fundraising, annual photo auctions, and photojournalism-based exhibitions. Previously, she was the Manager of Photography and Video at Art in Odd Places, an arts festival presenting visual and performance art in unexpected public spaces. As a photographer, she had her first solo exhibition in Beijing in 2021 and her works have been published on Ain’t Bad, C41, Phroom, and Fisheye. She was also nominated for the Fine Art Photography Awards and highly commended by the Belfast Photo Festival. With her interest in photography, she hopes to stimulate conversations through lens-based practices and establish creative platforms of exchange for emerging artists. Currently, she is pursuing her master’s in Arts Administration at Columbia University.

As an image-maker, Tianqi is interested in blending the languages of conceptual and documentary photography to position banality within a lens of scrutiny. Her work seeks to extract seemingly mundane moments to amplify them into absurdity.