Hailun Ma Documents Youth Culture in Kashgar

Photographer Hailun Ma’s latest work, titled “Kashi Youth,” explores the style and traditions of a vibrant youth culture in Kashgar, an ancient city situated within China’s Xinjiang province. This series showcases how these young individuals express their identity through fashion and cultural background.

Mama, originally from Xinjiang but currently residing in New York, employs portrait photography as a means to delve into the juxtaposition of traditional and modern themes. Her subjects are captured in ordinary surroundings, adorned in attire that showcases the harmonious fusion of local traditions and contemporary styles.

The show is contributing to Ma’s larger initiative aimed at contesting established stories about Xinjiang. Instead of portraying the area as secluded or unchanging, she emphasizes its dynamism, highlighting that change is evident and the younger generation plays a significant part in molding the cultural identity.

As a photography enthusiast, I’ve always found youth culture to be the heart of my work. The individuals featured in this collection are all rooted in Kashgar—a unique blend of ancient history and contemporary spirit. Their fashion, their vitality, their paradoxes encapsulate the tension and harmony between preservation of tradition and exploration of self-expression, and the collision and merging of our past with our present. That’s what Ma had to say about it.