Lei Gao

This is a work about weightlessness, solitude, and self-reflection. The figure in the image lies submerged in water, eyes tightly shut, as bubbles escape from the mouth and nose. Time seems to stretch at this moment, plunging into a kind of silent abyss. The rippling water distorts the facial contours, turning a familiar image into something unfamiliar, hinting at the fluid and ambiguous nature of self-identity. Visually, the water creates an ambiguous boundary: is this reality or a dream? The figure appears trapped beneath a transparent layer—connected to the world yet isolated from reality. This visual displacement provokes reflection: Do we often feel suffocated within social structures? Are we being pulled into deep waters by an invisible force, unable to break free?

The Tripartite Self is a photographic exploration of the multiplicity of the self. The image layers human figures in red, yellow, and blue, symbolizing the shifts and fractures of identity across different circumstances, emotions, and social roles. By employing color and visual misalignment, the work reveals the fluidity and contradictions of human identity: we are both independent beings and products of our environments.

A lonely little bug quietly rests on the glass window, its tiny figure appearing particularly fragile against the translucent surface, as if it could be blown away by the outside breeze at any moment. The dust faintly visible on the glass reflects the world outside, seemingly narrating the solitude of existence.

This is a photographic work that explores the relationship between humans and nature. Through minimalist yet profound composition, it guides the viewer to look up and gaze at the sky, discovering uncommon poetry and philosophy in an ordinary perspective. The piece centers on a blade of grass, using the sky as a background, creating a visual narrative that is both figurative and abstract. It attempts to capture the fleeting moments of life and the passage of time.

In this fine art photography piece, a vibrant red baseball cap and a transparent soap bubble float together in the vast blue sky, set against a backdrop of scattered white clouds and treetops. This composition constructs a paradoxical sense of poetry—both weightless and free, yet fragile and uncertain. The state of suspension in the image serves as a metaphor for the adolescent experience, symbolizing the fluidity of identity, the yearning to break free from constraints, and the anxiety of uncertainty during the process of growing up. Visual and Symbolic Analysis The red cap is a powerful visual symbol. It can represent individuality and youthful energy, yet it may also signify social identity—whether in conformity or rebellion. During adolescence, individuals often use external objects (such as clothing) to express themselves, but these expressions are fleeting and constantly shifting—much like the cap suspended in the air, detached from its owner and seemingly about to be carried away by the wind. The soap bubble, on the other hand, carries another potent symbolism. Its transparency and ephemeral nature evoke the vulnerability of adolescence. Emotions, dreams, and relationships during this phase often resemble a soap bubble—beautiful yet fragile, appearing whole on the surface but bursting at the slightest touch. The interplay between the bubble and the cap reinforces the theme of instability; both exist in a precarious state, on the verge of vanishing. This uncertainty is one of the most defining psychological characteristics of adolescence.