MENGWEN CAO (they/them) is queer photographer, artist, educator and somatic coach creating multimedia portals for collective transformation. Born and raised in Hangzhou, China, they are currently based in New York, United States.
Weaving their embodied experience as a Chinese diasporic queer into their spiritual and creative practices, they use care and tenderness to explore in-between spaces. They see photography as a vehicle for healing and a tool to visualize the future. As a facilitator, they are trained in somatic coaching and various healing practices.
Their projects have been featured on publications like Aperture, Vogue, i-D, The New York Times and NPR. They have participated in international exhibitions like BredaPhoto, Photoville, Jimei Arles, Lianzhou Foto Festival.
Mengwen graduated from the New Media Narratives and Documentary Practice program at the International Center of Photography in 2017. They received NLGJA’s Excellence in Photojournalism Award in 2019. They were recognized by The Lit List in 2018, PDN 30 New and Emerging Photographers to Watch in 2019, World Press Photo 6x6 Global Talent in 2020 and Art in America 20 Talent to Watch in 2023.
Previsouly, Mengwen has served as a board member of Authority Collective, championing space for diverse narratives and perspectives in the media industry.
Weaving their embodied experience as a Chinese diasporic queer into their spiritual and creative practices, they use care and tenderness to explore in-between spaces. They see photography as a vehicle for healing and a tool to visualize the future. As a facilitator, they are trained in somatic coaching and various healing practices.
Their projects have been featured on publications like Aperture, Vogue, i-D, The New York Times and NPR. They have participated in international exhibitions like BredaPhoto, Photoville, Jimei Arles, Lianzhou Foto Festival.
Mengwen graduated from the New Media Narratives and Documentary Practice program at the International Center of Photography in 2017. They received NLGJA’s Excellence in Photojournalism Award in 2019. They were recognized by The Lit List in 2018, PDN 30 New and Emerging Photographers to Watch in 2019, World Press Photo 6x6 Global Talent in 2020 and Art in America 20 Talent to Watch in 2023.
Previsouly, Mengwen has served as a board member of Authority Collective, championing space for diverse narratives and perspectives in the media industry.
TALKS / PANELS / CONVERSATIONS
- 2022 Artist Talk, Women Photograph Workshop 2022, Zoom
- 2022 Artist Talk, Regis University, Denver
- 2022 Guest Lecture, the University of Texas at Austin
- 2021 Guest speaker with Charmaine Poh, Strudel Media, Virtual
- Guest Lecture; MA Visual & Multimedia Journalism, University of Bolten, International Multimedia Journalism; Beijing, Zoom, 2020
- Guest Lecture; I.S. 136 Charles O. Dewey; New York, USA, Zoom, 2020
- Conversation; NüVoices Podcast: Gender, self-discovery, and vibe curation with Mengwen Cao, 2020
- Guest Lecture; School of Visual Arts, New York, 2019
- Conversation; "Center the Margins" ft Mary Kang, Melissa Bunni Elian, and Annie Tritt at Adorama, Women Photograph x Photo Brigade Pane, New York, 2019
- Panel; Parallax: ReVisioning Queer and Trans People of Color in Photography, Photoville, New York, 2019
- Panel; NY Chinese Culture Salon, 2019
- Panel; Career Success for Women and Non-Binary Journalists, Presented by AAJA Women & Non-Binary Voices, Asian American Journalism Association, Atlanta, USA, 2019
- Conversation; International Center of Photography Podcast: In Process, 2019
- Guest Lecture; MA Visual & Multimedia Journalism, University of Bolten, International Multimedia Journalism, Hangzhou, China, 2019
- Panel; Models For Collaboration in Documentary Photography, A Blade of Grass Assembly x Magnum Foundation, 2019
- Artist Talk; Open Source Gallery, 2018
- Artist Talk; International Center of Photography, 2018
AWARDS / FELLOWSHIPS / RESIDENCIES
- 6x6 Global Talent, World Press Photo, 2020
- The Association of LGBTQ Journalists (NLGJA) Excellence in Photojournalism Award, 2019
- PDN 30 New & Emerging Photographers to Watch, 2019
- The Lit List: Photographers to Watch, Exhibit & Hire, 2018
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Magnum Foundation Fellowship, 2018
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Zhongnan Mountain Residency, 2017
JURY
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One Club ADC101 FUSION CUBE JURY
EXHIBITIONS
- The Face of The Other, Socially Engaged Art Salon, The Ledward Center & BMECP, Brighton Festival & BBrrighton Fringe, 2021.
- Construccio de la identitat, Barcelona, 2020
- Parallax, presented by Authority Collective, Photoville Los Angles & New York, 2019
- Here We Are (video, installation), Fluctuation, Jimei x Arles, Xiamen, China, 2018
- Here We Are" & "I Stand Between"(multimedia installation & prints), What We Say in Cars, New York, 2018
- Lit List 2018, Authority Collective, Photoville, New York, 201
- "Nen 念头" (lenticular prints), And the Nanshan Mountains Echoed, Xi'an, 2018
- And the Zhongnan Mountain Echoed, Xi’an Yuan Gallery, Xi’an, 2018
- I Stand Between, Hidden Narratives, International Center of Photography, New York, 2017
- "Free To Love"(photo book), Lianzhou Photography Festival, Lianzhou, China, 2017
- Real-time curation, “Public, Private, Secret” Exhibition, The Museum of International Center of Photography, New York, 2016
- Here We Are (multimedia), Open Show NYC, Bronx Documentary Center, New York, 2016
- Here We Are (multimedia), Another Kind of Paradise, International Center of Photography, New York, 2016