Teenage Vibes on Blast: Li Yu Xuan Rules Taipei Youth
Taipei is putting itself on the map of the cool kids at a supersonic speed.
A city that comes alive at night, full of history and excitement, is naturally going to be a fiery spot for the youth there. Creatives and artists alike bond to create an underground ecosystem built on innovation, controversy, and rebellion. One of sabukaru’s favorite photographers, Li Yu Xuan, is essential to this bubbling scene in Taipei.
It’s so easy to fall in love with her work. A tattoo artist and a photographer, Li Yu Xuan is certainly one of the most sought-out photographers in her realm. She has built her own genre over the past years that strongly dissects her essence from everything else, like a fluorescent moth in the pitch dark.
This time, Li Yu Xuan perfects her unfiltered take on youth with her recent shoot. Bringing to life a mall goth and grunge love story in a setting reminiscent of a modern Wong Kar Wai film, it’s oozing of freedom and of the newfound independence at the threshold of late teenage years and real adulthood.
That’s a recurring theme in Li Yu Xuan’s work, and that’s probably why we’re such fans. Capturing the thinness of time at the same time as the lasting impact our youth has on us, it’s a glimpse into our deepest desire of feeling unstuck, unapologetic, and fully present. Sexuality meets playfulness in an haute-couture raunchy way, and the city becomes a labyrinth where hopes are rejuvenated. If you’re attentive enough, you can also see some fake graffiti on the building edited by Xuan - they’re near identical to her tattoo art.
All in all, Xuan’s portfolio is like peeking into a yearbook of the edgy, the misfits, and the next rockstars. Weaving the effervescence of the 90s and 2000s with today’s cyber era, Li Yu Xuan is undeniably an applauded figure in Taipei’s youth scene.
About the Author:
Mizuki Khoury
Born in Montreal, based in Tokyo. Sabukaru’s senior writer and works as an artist under Exit Number Five.
