BoiHugo

Profession

MA Photography graduate

College

London College of Communication

Person Type

Alumni

Biography

Han Zhang, known professionally as @BoiHugo, graduated from MA Photography at London College of Communication in 2018.

Interview

Where are you from in the world?
Beijing, China

Why did you decide to pursue a postgraduate degree in photography?
After getting my BA in Fine Arts in my hometown Beijing, China, I was desperately in need of a freer research environment to develop my ideas. A prestigious art higher education institution like UAL looked promising for my practice. I've always been interested in photography as a fine art medium so it didn't take long to make the decision to pursue this route. I did very thorough research on almost every British art school and eventually I was impressed by the diversity in styles, contents and constant high artistic quality of work produced on this course.

What did you most enjoy about studying MA Photography?
The first thing that came to mind is my classmates. We were a culturally diverse group, all working on different themes. Everyone was so friendly and I felt safe and constantly inspired in an environment like this. Some of the people from the course will be my life-long friends and mentors.

I also loved the guest lectures delivered by well-established self-publishers such as the founder of SPBH, Ditto Press and Loose Joints. This might sound quite personal but phonebooks and zines are one of my biggest passions so I enjoyed this part very much.

What was the most valuable lesson you learnt on the course?
The power of collective intelligence and the importance of productivity.

How did you find the photography facilities at London College of Communication?
During term times you have access to industry-level facilities. There is also a digital printing studio run by Borg who is a very professional technician. This is exclusively open to LCC photography students.

What have you been up to since graduating?
I've been mainly working on an English and Chinese bilingual publication Untitled Folder on masculinities, 'oriental' queer and fashion with my friend Edge Yang who is also an alumni of UAL. Other than that, I am producing new works for several upcoming group shows.

What has been the biggest challenge you have faced since leaving University?
To be honest it's probably the process of "adulting". The transformation from an art student to an industry professional/ full-time artist. It’s also more difficult to make new works without the facility support. So, my advice would probably be take advantage of the workshops and the kit room as much as you can whilst you are still at London College of Communication, and start to think about your future as soon as you enter into the course.

Related area

Visit the MA Photography course page.

Links

Read @BoiHugo's latest press coverage over on Dazed magazine.