Lolita Dreams is about the Lolita fashion subculture community in China.
Lolita fashion is a subculture that originated in Japan and is primarily inspired by the clothing and general aesthetics of the Rococo and Victorian periods.
Participants in this subculture have redefined the term ‘Lolita’, shifting its original connotation from Nabokov’s sexual metaphor associated with the Lolita complex to a new, de-sexualized meaning that embodies girlishness, cuteness, and elegance. Particularly, Lolita participants pointed out that Nabokovian Lolita’s undertone is sexualised children, but Lolita fashion subculture is in connection with adults who desire to express childish cuteness. Gradually, Lolita fashion subculture has developed into an industry, generating economic benefits and getting a lot of fans on the internet.
As a foreign subculture, Lolita fashion has inevitably had its ups and downs with the government-led mainstream culture and public opinion in the course of its development. Through interviews and portraits with various Lolita participants, I investigate the phenomenon of de-Westerncentrism in the localization process of the Lolita subculture and the influence of Lolita fashion on their individuality, identity perception, lifestyle choices and consumption habits.
About Tianhu Yuan
Tianhu Yuan is a self-taught Chinese visual artist based in Chengdu and Chongqing. He has a long-standing interest in ACG-related generalized Nijigen subcultural community, and aims to build a dialogue between mainstream society and subculture through his work. He also focuses on the progress of society to explore the relationship between current technology and future developments.
His work has been exhibited at China 29th National Photographic Art Exhibition, RPS IPE165, Galerie Huit Arles, PHOTO IS:RAEL International Photo Festival, Jakarta International Photo Festival, PhEST Festival, Head On Photo Festival and Lishui Art Museum. He was also awarded or shortlisted from Sony World Photography Awards, Fine Art Photography Awards, BJP OpenWalls Arles, BJP Portrait of Humanity, Lucie Foundation Scholarships, PhMuseum Photography Grant, the Meitar Award for Excellence in photography and Head On Photo Awards. [Official Website]
