AKIRA: NEON FRAGMENTS

Photography Series, 2023

Young woman with long dark hair standing outdoors on a rooftop or terrace, facing left, with a cityscape and partly cloudy sky in the background.

Inspired by the dystopian atmosphere of Akira, this project explored the visual contradictions within post-war Japanese cyberpunk culture — a world where rapid technological development, social unrest, youth rebellion and urban prosperity exist simultaneously.

A person dressed in a sparkly silver top, white jacket, and patterned skirt standing in front of green ivy leaves, with their hand visible showing painted nails and jewelry.

Through styling, photography and character-driven image making, I experimented with deconstructed silhouettes, industrial textures and bold colour contrasts to create three fictional identities existing within a disordered futuristic world. This project also marked one of my earliest explorations into cinematic styling, narrative world-building and emotionally driven visual storytelling.

Models: Hsinyi Lin & Xinyu Li

OTHER WORKS

A young woman with long brown hair and bangs is wearing a black sleeveless top with sheer long sleeves, a black tulle skirt, and black accessories. She is posing on her hands and knees against a plain gray background, looking down to her left with a serious expression.

Photography / Styling / Creative Direction / Makeup

Haijia Gao

A young woman with long brown hair and makeup, wearing a black sleeveless top, black mesh sleeves, a black choker with silver studs, and black pants with shiny black boots, sitting on the ground against a plain gray background.
A young woman with long brown hair and bangs, wearing a black sleeveless top, a studded choker, black fingerless gloves, and a black layered tulle skirt, is sitting on the floor with her head tilted and eyes closed, against a plain light gray background.