If I’m awarded The Dover Prize, I will use the bursary to take Ephemeral Intimacy into its next chapter: a more ambitious, immersive exploration of queer identity, intimacy, and race. This project began as a way for me to understand my own place in the world as a Southeast Asian, queer artist shaped by cultural silence and the search for connection. It has grown into something larger, a quiet but determined space for stories that are often overlooked or unheard.
A big inspiration for this work is Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own. There is a line that has always stayed with me: “a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.” That idea speaks deeply to the importance of having space, both physical and emotional, to exist, to create, and to imagine freely. Growing up queer in a conservative Southeast Asian family, I didn’t always have that space. That is part of why I began photographing people in their homes, places where identity could unfold in private, in a safe and honest way.
With the bursary, I want to build on that idea by creating immersive installations that combine photography, sound, text, and sculpture. I will work with handmade screens inspired by traditional room dividers, using them to present layered images and shape how the viewer experiences intimacy and fragmentation. I also plan to travel across the UK and Europe to collaborate with queer individuals, photograph their lived spaces, and gather stories that reflect a diverse and deeply human reality. These experiences will form the emotional core of the work.
This prize would give me the time and freedom to go deeper, to take creative risks, and to share this work with wider audiences. It would help me publish my first photobook and present the project through exhibitions, talks, and public events. Most of all, it would support my commitment to creating art that holds space for the quiet, complex, and powerful realities of queer life today.
As an artist whose work centres on queer intimacy and identity, I am committed to engaging directly with Darlington’s LGBTQ+ communities. If awarded The Dover Prize, I will partner with organisations such as Darlington ARQ and Durham Pride to co-create a community-led extension of Ephemeral Intimacy that reflects the voices and stories of local queer individuals.
I will lead a series of creative workshops focused on self-representation through photography, writing, and zine-making. These workshops will be open to LGBTQ+ youth and adults in the area, offering a safe, supportive environment for participants to explore themes of identity, love, and belonging. The project will culminate in the production of a printed community zine and a public pop-up exhibition hosted at an accessible venue in Darlington, such as a local library or community centre.
This collaborative process will become an integral part of the final work, embedding Darlington’s stories into the larger narrative of Ephemeral Intimacy. Through exhibitions, public events, and creative publishing, I aim to elevate queer visibility in the region and contribute to Darlington’s profile as a town that supports experimental, inclusive, and socially engaged art practices with real community impact.
My practice explores themes of intimacy, identity, and belonging, particularly within queer and diasporic experiences. Working primarily with photography, I often expand my projects into installation, sculpture, sound, and text to create immersive, emotionally resonant environments. I use these layered forms to explore how domestic spaces, digital platforms, and personal relationships shape our sense of self and connection. My ongoing project, Ephemeral Intimacy, focuses on queer relationships formed through dating apps. Through photographing individuals in their homes, I explore the emotional landscapes of desire, race, vulnerability, and digital intimacy. These portraits are integrated into multi-sensory installations using handmade sculptural screens, ambient sound, and fragmented narrative text. The resulting works invite viewers to step into contemplative spaces that reflect the complex, often private realities of queer life. Recent exhibitions include Photo Elysée reGeneration in Lausanne, Centre Forward 2024 at the Center for Fine Art Photography in Colorado, and the International Photography Exhibition 166 at the Royal Photographic Society in London. I also exhibited at the Malta Biennale, Haze Gallery in Berlin, Safe House and Lock Studios in London, Venue Art Space in Taipei, and the Black Brick Project in New York City. In 2025, I was selected as a FRESH EYES 2025 Talent by GUP Magazine and Haute Photographie in Rotterdam, and awarded the Wolf Suschitzky Photography Prize. My work has been featured in publications including GUP Magazine, Fisheye Magazine, Source, Verse, Suboart, and Times of Malta. I am also a member of the UK New Artist Collective #3, a national platform supporting emerging artists through mentorship and collaboration. Alongside exhibitions, I remain committed to socially engaged and community centred practices. Through workshops, publishing, and collaborative projects, I aim to create inclusive spaces that amplify underrepresented voices and encourage dialogue. At its core, my work seeks to hold space for quiet, complex experiences and invite others into deeper reflection and connection.
Do you have a degree in visual or applied arts at undergraduate and/or post-graduate level? Please provide details. (200 words)
Yes, I hold both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in visual arts. I completed my Master of Arts in Photography at the Royal College of Art (RCA) in London from September 2023 to September 2024. The RCA’s program has been instrumental in advancing my conceptual thinking, interdisciplinary approach, and critical engagement with contemporary issues. During my time at the RCA, I developed my current project Ephemeral Intimacy, which integrates photography with installation, sculpture, sound, and text to explore queer identity and digital intimacy. The program provided a platform for experimentation, peer exchange, and access to leading voices in the field. Prior to that, I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Arts from Tainan National University of the Arts in Taiwan (2016–2020). My undergraduate studies gave me a strong foundation in photography, installation, and cross-disciplinary practice, while also deepening my engagement with identity, cultural context, and the role of personal narrative in art-making. These academic experiences have shaped both my technical skills and my ability to develop socially and emotionally resonant work. They continue to inform my practice as I navigate the intersections of personal experience, community engagement, and contemporary visual culture.
Yes, I hold both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in visual arts. I completed my Master of Arts in Photography at the Royal College of Art (RCA) in London from September 2023 to September 2024. The RCA’s program has been instrumental in advancing my conceptual thinking, interdisciplinary approach, and critical engagement with contemporary issues. During my time at the RCA, I developed my current project Ephemeral Intimacy, which integrates photography with installation, sculpture, sound, and text to explore queer identity and digital intimacy. The program provided a platform for experimentation, peer exchange, and access to leading voices in the field.
Prior to that, I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Arts from Tainan National University of the Arts in Taiwan (2016–2020). My undergraduate studies gave me a strong foundation in photography, installation, and cross-disciplinary practice, while also deepening my engagement with identity, cultural context, and the role of personal narrative in art-making.
These academic experiences have shaped both my technical skills and my ability to develop socially and emotionally resonant work. They continue to inform my practice as I navigate the intersections of personal experience, community engagement, and contemporary visual culture.
Yes, I have received several professional awards and recognitions that have supported the growth of my practice and expanded the visibility of my work. In 2025, I was awarded the Wolf Suschitzky Photography Prize, which recognises emerging photographers whose work demonstrates strong storytelling, technical skill, and social relevance. This prize helped bring greater attention to my ongoing project Ephemeral Intimacy, which explores queer identity, intimacy, and digital culture.
I was also selected as one of the FRESH EYES 2025 Talents by GUP Magazine and Haute Photographie. This recognition highlights emerging photographers across Europe and led to my participation in a curated exhibition at Haute Photographie in Rotterdam.
In addition, I was named a Top 30 finalist for the KLPA Autoportrait Prize, an international competition focused on self-representation and visual identity. My work was also featured in Der Greif’s Guest Room, curated by Michael Grieve and Rut Blees Luxemburg, and selected by platforms such as Fisheye Magazine, Suboart Magazine, and Source Magazine.
Yes, I am actively involved in creating self-initiated professional opportunities that support both my individual practice and collaborative, community-focused work.
Throughout my career, I have developed and participated in independent artist-led projects, including exhibitions, self-published zines, and interdisciplinary collaborations. My work often extends beyond traditional gallery spaces into more accessible and informal platforms that centre queer and underrepresented voices. During my time at the Royal College of Art, I co-organised exhibitions and public events that brought together artists to explore themes such as identity, migration, and queer belonging.
I am also committed to publishing as an extension of my practice. I have produced and contributed to artist books and independent publications that create space for visibility and shared authorship. I often collaborate with other artists and writers to build physical and digital spaces for dialogue, mutual support, and experimentation.
Currently, I am in the process of setting up my own studio, which will serve as both a workspace and a base for future community-led projects and interdisciplinary collaborations. This step marks a significant moment in my practice, giving me the stability and independence to continue building artist-led initiatives rooted in care, storytelling, and critical engagement.
I have not yet received a formal commission from a public institution.
My artwork has not yet been acquired by a public collection.
Yes, my work has been featured in several art magazines, journals, and online curated platforms that focus on contemporary photography and emerging voices.
In 2025, I was selected as one of the FRESH EYES 2025 Talents by GUP Magazine, which highlights the most promising emerging photographers across Europe. My work was also published in Fisheye Magazine as part of their “La sélection Instagram,” and featured in Source Magazine (Issue 116: The Element), which included both my images and a critical overview of my practice.
I have been profiled in Suboart Magazine (Issue 35) and featured in Der Greif’s curated online platform, Guest Room, selected by Michael Grieve and Rut Blees Luxemburg. These features provided space for both visual work and contextual writing about my practice.
My projects have also received press attention in more general media, including Verse Magazine and Times of Malta, in connection with exhibitions like Simple Expressions of Complex Thoughts at the Malta Biennale. Additionally, Radio Taiwan International produced a segment on my work for their arts programme.
I am not currently represented by gallery.
Yes, I have taken part in a recognised artist development programme through my selection for the UK New Artist Collective #3 in 2025. This national initiative supports emerging artists across the UK by offering mentorship, peer exchange, and public-facing opportunities.
Email: jeremy.ch.chuang@gmail.com
Address: 99 Cressy Houses, Hannibal Road, London, E1 3JF, GB
Local Authority: London Borough of Tower Hamlets
