Who are you on the inside? How do you see yourself and who do you long to be? We asked young creative people to draw the self they dream themselves to be.
This project started with young photographer Bùi Hoàng Long mulling over questions of the ‘real’ Long. Not who he is as others see him, but his true self as he is in his mind. How he is or wants to be in his mind. He struggled with the idea. “If someone asked me to draw my imaginary self, I would just hand him back a blank page.” He wanted to find out what other people would do when faced with this question so set out to meet with people from different walks of life to get them to share their thoughts with him.
For the series Long is taking portraits of the different groups, and asking them to sketch what their ‘imaginary’ selves are like.
The first two parts of the series features Long’s peers: young creatives who are just figuring out how to handle adulthood and what their place in the world might be.
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“I want to be sexy, and powerful.”
Tâm – 22 years old – Painter
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“When I was young, I always felt ashamed of myself. But if my friends hadn’t mocked me about being poor and ugly, I would never have become this strong and persistent. If possible, I want to be a queen who has money, power, and a superior status.”
Đặng Thu Anh – 22 years old – Director/Film Producer
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“Since I was born, I have had a wealthy life and owned everything I wanted. But I still want to have a lot of money because it makes me feel safe.”
Tô Mạnh Lân – 27 years old – Graphic Designer
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