Mingyi Sung

Mingyi Sung (born 1996, Taiwan) uses photography as a therapeutic tool to represent intimate relationships in the 21st century. Her practice involves staged photographs, self-portrait, performance, and text, combined with feminist and phototherapy methodologies. Often embedding a sense of vulnerability and melancholy, Sung’s work reveals the nuances of love and intimacy, as well as the healing power of self-expression.

Sung’s latest series, Looking for Nirvana, is a deeply personal exploration of non-monogamy and the unexpected self-realisation of childhood trauma. In 2022, after discussions with her partner, they mutually agreed to pursue an open relationship structure. Their bond would be “the primary”, and any external connections would not develop into love affairs. However, while Sung began seeing others (C and K), her partner did not pursue external relationships himself. This experience triggered a process of self-reflection, prompting Sung to confront the impact of her childhood trauma on her current relationships and self-esteem.

Having grown up in Taiwan, where discussions about intimacy and mental health are often muted, along with being raised within a household lacking affection, Sung finds herself grappling with the lasting impact of this upbringing on her relationships in adulthood. ‘Looking for Nirvana’ thus becomes a feminist and introspective exploration, where the boundaries of intimacy are examined through portraits and self-reflective text. In Sung’s work she searches for a path to inner peace, unravelling the complexities of how personal histories affect our lives and reshaping an understanding of love.