Erotic, Beautiful, and Real

Photographs by Lincoln Lin

Photographer Lincoln Lin is known for documenting queer parties in both Shanghai, China, and Los Angeles, United States. Lincoln talks about the differences and similarities between events in both cities, the rise in queer nightlife in Shanghai, and being more than just a party photographer.

Shanghai, China

Los Angeles, United States

What is your history with photography?

I bought my first camera when I was 14, I never knew how to manually use it until 5 years later when I accidentally moved the nob to “manual” and it was a holy shit moment. Then I immediately realized the possibility in cameras since I was still focusing on oil painting, which was normally a long and slow process. And somehow I felt, the fundamental idea of making an oil painting and a photograph out of total nothingness or just to capture and present a certain moment is the same for me. Yet the efficiency in taking photos just crazy, comparing to I used to spend months to finish 1 large painting.

I think I started calling myself as an artist or a photographer earlier this year. After I finished making my 2nd photo-book, “American Confusion”, I looked at all the pictures and poems I’ve done, it felt like I was looking at someone else’s work instead of my own because it’s just too good. I always feel unrealistic to review the work I’ve done and remind myself that I made all these efforts into turning it into something concrete and whole, it doesn’t feel real.

How would you describe your style?

A lot of people know me as someone who takes a lot of nightlife pictures or queer related contents; I’m cool with that but that’s not how I was intended to be seen. I’d personally describe my work as more documentary in a sense since I get inspired by almost everyone and everything around me and I write about everything. I just so happened love to go to parties and have fun and I always have a camera with me. I tried to post “more serious” work on social media but it seemed like not many people cared or liked them, then I stopped posting, social media for me is a platform to present something that I think the viewers would appreciate, it doesn’t matter if I like them or not, it’s a show booth to the objective outside world and what happens behind it could be more important or less interesting, you never know.

Who are your subjects? Why are they important to you?

Friends, friends’ friends, strangers, hookups, tinder dates, party kids... they never occurred to me as important until 2019, I’ve already taken many pictures back them, so I started wondering, what’s their story? So I tried to archive as many memories as I could since then, and I got to know them as real humans like me. I wouldn’t say those pictures are the only thing that’s important to me, those memories behind the photographs are what I think is valuable. And I believe, people may don’t feel it now, but they will over time. Because when you’re in the moment you don’t realize what’s happening but over time you’ll see, you’ll relate and you’ll resonate.

How did you start photographing queer events/nightlife/culture?

I went to a party with my friend Stephen in Los Angeles and I was taking pictures of people, I posted them on my Instagram and one of the party organizers contacted me and asked me if I’d like to take photographs for them at the next one, I said yes.

Where do you mostly shoot these parties? Where are you currently located?

I’m currently in Shanghai, my plan to go to LA with a proper visa got delayed due to the covid situation. I took most of my party photos in Los Angeles, the photos I took in China are from Shanghai.

What is the difference between queer parties in the West vs the East? What are the similarities?

The queer party scene is only getting started in China, it’s different than the western ones, but I feel very lucky that I get to be here when it’s all happening and document it.

When you go party in the West, you get party favors, drugs, you smoke and you trip. Back in 2018, you can still do drugs secretly in Shanghai, but it’s getting very strict here now, by regulations, by the government. There are cool party kids just like in the west, but like I said. It’s only getting started.

You said queer parties are just getting started in China - how were queer people partying or getting together before? And how does this reflect the current political/social climate of China?

It was not a secret, yet it started off as very much exclusive and underground I’d say (When it’s in my time of course, this is what I learned), and it was not queer at the beginning; it was just about party kids and party freaks.

Before those party kids and freaks go out on the streets and walk into clubs today, they went to Shelter, which does not exist anymore. You could hear alternative and experimental music and see live performance down there in the Shelter. After it was closed, it changed its name to ALL club, some say it’s the new version of Shelter but I wouldn’t say so, it’s just different. And then the most iconic gay club Icon was closed, then the gay club Lucca 390 arose. Then finally there’s Elevator, they have Medusa night, which is very queer and westernized in my opinion, yet it’s still fun, they host drag nights and queer markets annually (I think).

The party people was nurtured in those places in Shanghai. Then just this year (or last year?!), the very first Vouging Dancing studio in China was opened, thanks for the American TV series POSE, and it held its 2nd voguing contest in club 44KW last July, the media and magazines were there taking photographs and doing interviews that night, it was something that the party kids and fashion people kept talking about or reposting for about 1 or 2 weeks at least. And that’s how voguing culture began to enter some of our lives.

And all of those, is happening right now in 2020, but at the same time, the Shanghai Pride was canceled, we are not sure if it will make its way back to us or not. I was at the Shanghai Pride Art Exhibition around the 9th Of August, and I was giving a speech and all. Then 3 days later they sent out this public notice that’s Shanghai Pride was canceled. It was sad and shocking for all of us, and I don’t know what to say except for I thought we are going forward. Yet given the fact that the police was always looking for trouble for the last few years at the SH Pride, it’s really not a surprise I think. Thanks for the internet, and thanks for those celebs or influencers sharing their point of view to eliminate the stigmatization over LGBTQI community, but we are a nation of thousand years of history, we know what we know, it’s hard to flip over someone’s world and force them to understand what is what, that’s cruel to those people too, some maybe never know what LGBTQI is, and for me, I think that’s fine. Yet people in my generation or slight older, are really showing the correct portion of respect and understanding over us, but that’s Shanghai, Shanghai does not represent the whole China and Chins does not look like this.