Fetish Stories
The exhibition brings together selected works from the ‘Adults in Wonderland’ series, Lau’s ten-year exploration of sexuality, gender identity and subcultures, to be shown at Solaris Print, St Leonards on-sea during September – October 2026. This forms part of PhotoHastings Festival 2026, of which Grace Lau is a trustee and was a founding director. It will later travel to be shown at the Bishopsgate Institute, London before entering its archive.
Since the early 1980s, my photographic journey through the world of sexuality, gender identity and sadomasochistic sub-culture has earned me the reputation as a photographer of perverse tastes.
Portraits In a Chinese Studio
Beginning in February 2023, and celebrating Chinese New Year in Southampton, Grace Lau’s Chinese Portrait Studio has toured, with the resulting images being exhibited widely. This includes John Hansard Gallery, Centre for British Photography, Christie’s London, and Towner Eastbourne. In May 2024 the studio came full circle back to Hastings and St Leonards where it began in 2005. The project archive now boasts in excess of 1700 images, and will travel to China, dates to be confirmed.
Through this project I am making an oblique comment on Imperialist visions of the ‘exotic’ Chinese and by reversing roles, I have become the Imperialist photographer documenting my exotic subjects.
Adults In Wonderland
Selected work from this series was shown at Tate Britain as part of The 80s: Photographing Britain, 21 November 2024 – 5 May 2025.
Since the early 1980s, my photographic journey through the world of sexuality, gender identity and sado-masochistic sub-culture has earned me the reputation as a photographer of perverse tastes.
Ad/dressing Death
A series of portraits of people posing in a constructed wooden coffin, wearing what they wish to wear on their death. And holding what they wish to take with them.
Picturing The Chinese
My book documenting photographs taken by Westerners in China during the latter 19th Century.