Meet Lin Zhipeng, a Chinese photographer who's built a massive Instagram following.
Lin Zhipeng, aka @finger223, is a former fashion magazine editor who now spends his spare time on queer photography, documenting aspects of his life since he began casually taking photos over ten years ago. He shares the eclectic photos on Instagram and currently has almost 35,000 followers.
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Ablaze with sex, drugs, nudity, and unabashed queerness, his photography is making waves in China's art scene.
He likes to imagine an entire world and backstory for his subjects before a picture is ever snapped. In an interview with BredaPhoto International Photo Festival, he explained, "I like to make pictures with my thoughts. I give them a story like I'm shooting a movie and they act like actors or actress in my thoughts, in my story."
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Zhipeng's snapshots offer a glimpse into China unlike we've ever seen before.
Most of his subjects are his real-life friends, and he's so grateful for them to be involved with his work. “A lot of my friends do creative things, so they are probably more open than most. This allows me to photograph them the way I do. They understand what I’m doing.”
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"I didn't think I'd be a photographer at all before."
"The purpose is just to make a memory for me, just for myself," Zhipeng said, explaining how he tries to capture emotions or feelings of the moment in his art. "Maybe I can get emotions from my photo."
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"There's not the most freedom in China, but in my work, I want there to be freedom."
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The artist recently worked on a series focusing on same-sex couples in China.
Exhibitions of his work have popped up in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and across Europe, and with more expected in Shanghai and Paris.
According to NewNowNext, Zhipeng's "nude portraits of friends and lovers have been exhibited in Asia, Europe, and the US, and published in almost a dozen books and zines." Zhipeng has previously worked for Vice, Nike, Converse, Glaceau Vitamin Water, Bacardi, and Guangzhou’s Modern Weekly.
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(L-R) Matt Damon in 'The Talented Mr. Ripley'; Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen on 'Hannibal'; Michael K. Williams on 'The Wire.'Paramount Pictures/Miramax; NBC; HBO
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