Gomma Photography Grant 2024
Win or Lose
Photographer
Yizhen Zhang
Win or Lose
23 Jan, 2025
Win or Lose is a biographical project chronicling the journey of Win, a 25-year-old barber from Guangdong, China, who arrived alone in New York City at 13. His family sacrificed everything to fund their American Dream, believing the move would unlock a path to financial independence. However, upon arriving, Win found himself isolated in a new land, devoid of familial or social support. Seeking belonging, he found solace in Christianity, a connection that eventually facilitated his green card through religious immigration. Despite living in vibrant New York, Win’s world remains largely confined to the Chinatown community in Flushing, Queens. His limited English and daily commute between home and the barbershop reinforce an existence that feels detached from the broader cityscape. In 2021, a friend’s betrayal led to his unwitting involvement in money laundering, leaving him awaiting trial and confined to a daily 12-hour release under electronic monitoring, which caused his green card suspended. This project captures Win’s life through ten iconic images of his confined environment: his church, the streets of Flushing, and the barbershop where he works. Rather than critique American society, I seek to document Win’s story with empathy, offering an intimate portrait of resilience amidst adversity.
About the photographer
Yizhen Zhang
Yizhen(Aaron) Zhang, a storyteller and an image-maker, was born in Hangzhou, China and just graduated with an MFA in Photography from the School of Visual Arts in New York City, under the guidance of Alex Webb, a member of Magnum Photos. Owing to more than seven years of committed photography experience, his photographs comprise a wide array of genres, such as street fashion, urban landscapes, human portraiture, and documentary. He has been operating as an independent photographer for years, specializing in documentary work and urban street fashion. In Yizhen's photographic work, he predominantly harnesses natural and ambient light sources instead of extra lighting equipment. With a preference for the intricate play of shadows cast by urban structures or the soft, diffuse glow of twilight, his commitment to utilizing natural light stems from his belief that the sun is the supreme light source. This philosophy profoundly influences his creative process and is evident in both his street portraiture and documentary photography. His approach not only defines his unique visual style but also underscores his relentless pursuit of authenticity, capturing the essence of each moment with purity and integrity. While a substantial portion of his creations are grounded in a documentary or street aesthetic, he discovers ways to incorporate diverse elements to enhance the variety of photo collections, which is achieved by merging traditional documentary narratives with contemporary art's inventiveness in order to delve deeper into the ever-changing realm of digital imagery.
