Faces of Belief (2017)

Faces of Belief was photographed at the Wong Tai Sin Temple in Hong Kong, a Taoist temple widely known for devotees seeking blessings, guidance, and answered prayers. Rather than documenting acts of worship from an observational distance, the project reverses the traditional direction of the gaze.

Photographed from the viewpoint facing the devotees directly, the photographs position the viewer within the symbolic space of the deity or sacred figure being addressed. In doing so, the work shifts attention from the act of praying itself to the reciprocal relationship between presence, belief, and perception.

The project examines the psychological and spatial dynamics of devotion: moments of concentration, vulnerability, hope, and contemplation unfolding within a shared ritual environment. By inverting the expected perspective, the photographs invite viewers to consider what it means not only to pray, but also to be seen while praying.

Through this reversal, Faces of Belief reflects on belief as a lived and embodied experience shaped through gestures, encounters, and acts of looking.