© Photo by Stacii Samidin
Coming out of Chinatown, NYC, Tyler Chan is a Chinese American photographer now based in Rotterdam. He picked up a camera at fifteen, using disposable cameras to document teen life in Montclair, New Jersey. What started as casual snapshots grew into a deliberate practice of documenting heritage and community. Today, he is part of FOTODOK’s Lighthouse 2025/2026 cohort and a graduate of the Willem de Kooning Academy.
Chan’s work is grounded in family history. Raised speaking Cantonese and close to all four grandparents, he began making self-portraits with them at WdKA, honouring the elders whose sacrifices made his path possible. Returning to Hong Kong, his family’s city, he recognised the same rhythms he knew from Chinatown. Photography became his way to weave those roots into a wider story, connecting the Chinese diaspora through rap, community and everyday life.
We are proud to introduce him as the eighth guest in our Appreciation Gallery.
Community & Heritage
What unites Chan’s projects is a commitment to heritage and self-expression. He sees photography as more than image-making; it’s community-building. Before taking out his camera, he spends time with people, hanging out and hearing their stories. That trust allows him to document Chinese and Asian communities across continents, from Hong Kong alleyways and hip-hop basements in Paris to rap shows in Rotterdam. He seeks out artists who defy expectations: rappers, DJs, break-dancers and tattooists who are loud, expressive and proud. By spotlighting them, Chan challenges stereotypes that Chinese people “keep their heads down,” showing instead a generation that is creative and vocal.
This ethos resonates strongly with Zongoville. Our brand is built on the belief that clothes carry stories, a language of fit, fabric and gesture. Chan’s photographs do the same for bodies and communities, making visible the pride, softness and resilience that often go unnoticed. Both our brand and his images reject the idea that tradition and modernity are opposites; instead we honour heritage while embracing contemporary culture.
East West Market
Chan’s flagship project EAST WEST Market 東西市場 documents Chinese communities around the world. Named after an Asian supermarket in New Jersey where East and West mixed, the series follows artists who break stereotypes through hip-hop and self-expression. DJs, dancers, tattoo artists and rappers blend contemporary culture with homage to their heritage, illustrating what it means to be Chinese today beyond geographic borders.
The project mirrors Zongoville’s mission of building bridges: we also mix influences from different continents and transform them into a unique aesthetic. Just as Chan takes the supermarket as a metaphor for cultural exchange, our garments borrow from street markets and local tailors, celebrating spaces where identities intertwine.
This year, East West Market was featured in the Arty Party: Photography Graduates 2025 exhibition at Melkweg Amsterdam. The show described the series as documenting individuals who challenge traditional expectations through hip-hop and self-expression, turning a supermarket into a symbol of broader identities. Chan’s participation underscores his growing recognition in the Dutch art scene and signals a move from student to professional.
Montclair Snap Memories
Long before East West Market, Chan turned his lens on his own generation. Montclair Snap Memories captures life in Montclair, New Jersey, a town where racial diversity exists alongside division. Through portraits and candid scenes he explores how social media shapes teen experience and how digital connections alter human interaction. He addresses anxiety around complex racial dynamics in a supposedly tolerant community, inviting viewers to consider the realities faced by his peers.
Chan self-published a photobook of this series and turned it into his first solo museum exhibition at the Montclair Art Museum, on view from April 12 to May 25, 2025. In a podcast promoting the show, he explained how a disposable camera obsession in high school led to a career in photography and why documenting his peers felt personal and necessary. Studying abroad changed his perspective and he hopes everyone in Montclair will see the work, even if they think museums are not “for them.”
Chinese Self Portraits & See Their Faces
Chan’s attention to family threads through two deeply personal series. Chinese Self Portraits is an ongoing project using self-portraiture to preserve memories with elder family members. The photographs honour traditions passed down through generations, acknowledging the sacrifices that allow Chan’s generation to dream. The work has been shown in Rotterdam, Brooklyn and The Hague.
During the pandemic, See Their Faces emerged from the reality of long-distance love. Unable to visit his grandparents as often, Chan relied on FaceTime to stay connected. He explains how daily video calls allowed him to “see their faces from a long distance” and even say goodbye when his grandmother was dying. The project preserves those digital moments as photographs, reminding us that connection can transcend physical borders.
Reflection
What draws us to Tyler Chan’s practice is his ability to listen, connect and challenge. He photographs communities from the inside out, spending time with people until trust allows the camera to disappear. Whether he is documenting Chinese rappers in Hong Kong or teenagers in Montclair, his images honour everyday dignity and the pride of being seen. He pushes back against one-dimensional stereotypes, giving space to expressive youth, immigrant elders and bodies of all shapes.
In our world of quiet streetwear, we think constantly about bodies, heritage and movement: how clothes drape, how posture communicates identity. Chan’s photographs mirror that mindset. EAST WEST Market and Montclair Snap Memories show that identity can be loud or subtle, rooted in tradition or remixed through hip-hop, but always worthy of visibility.
As Chan’s career grows through exhibitions at Melkweg, the Montclair Art Museum and international festivals, alongside a place in FOTODOK’s Lighthouse programme and mentorship under Stacii Samidin, so does the reach of his storytelling. We are honoured to welcome him into Zongoville’s Appreciation Gallery, where his lens joins our fabric in shaping narratives of community, heritage and self-expression.
Discover More
To close, we invite you to step further into Tyler Chan’s world. His work continues to evolve across continents, communities and cultural lineages, yet always returns to the same core: people, memory, and the quiet power of being seen.
Explore more of his practice through the channels below, where his ongoing projects, exhibitions and stories continue to unfold.
Take your time with the images; they reward attention, revealing layers of story, identity and presence in every frame.
