Mengwen Cao

Mengwen Cao is a photographer, artist, educator and cultural organizer. Born and raised in China, they are currently based in New York.

As a queer immigrant, they use care and tenderness to explore spaces between race, gender, and cultural identity. As a board member of Authority Collective and a founding member of Chinese Storytellers, they are championing diverse narratives and perspectives in the media industry.

Their projects have been featured in publications like Aperture, The New York Times, NPR, Mashable, BUST, Foreign Policy, The Guardian, Sina, Tencent. They have participated in international exhibitions like Photoville, Jimei Arles, Lianzhou Foto Festival.

Mengwen graduated from the New Media Narratives and Documentary Practice program at the International Center of Photography. 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 and World Press Photo 6x6 Asia Talent in 2020.

They are currently the Visuals Editor at ChinaFile and the Project Manager at Magnum Foundation. Previously, Mengwen has worked as an instructional designer and a user experience designer.

Learn more: mengwencao.com | instagram: @mengwencao

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