Brotherhood and Belonging: The Intimacy behind Greg Lin Jiajie’s Photography

Few photographers have been better endowed for their vocation than Greg Lin Jiajie. Jiajie’s current project explores ideas of brotherly longing and reconciliation. It highlights the importance of growth, while conversely, oscillating between individualism and familiarity. At the core of this is the question of belonging: Will I lose my roots, if I individuate, and become whole?

Set against the mundanity of their hometown, the first instalment explores singularity by portraying the brothers as individuals. Yet, their separation is simply a means to reunite in the second instalment. The second part emphasises the corporeal space between them by portraying them next to each other. Inevitably so, they are portrayed as a unified whole, but clearly, their differences prevail. Their brotherly tie is a plea for companionship, artistic growth and intimacy, irrespective of the physicality of their features.

Courtesy of Greg Lin Jiajie

Greg Lin Jiajie’s exhibition is currently on at the Jim x Ales International Photo Festival from 27 Nov 2022 to 31 Jan 2023.