Stefen Chow (1980) is grateful to be a witness through his camera as a photographer and film maker. He is well versed in minimal to full production setups, and has proven his versatility by working across different genres in the industry across 40 countries. He has directed and photographed campaigns for Fortune 500 companies including portraits of artists, celebrities and billionaires. His work has garnered awards from the Tokyo Type Director’s Club, D&AD Awards, World Press Photo, National Geographic, Photographie de la Paris and more.
He has also summitted Mount Everest at the age of 25.
Stefen is part of artist duo Chow and Lin. The crux of Chow and Lin’s practice lies in their methodology of statistical, mathematical and computational techniques to address global issues. Their work have been exhibited internationally in museums and biennales across 3 continents, including St Petersburg’s Hermitage Museum, Beijing’s CAFA Museum and Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Photography. One of their long term projects, The Poverty Line, won the Rencontres LUMA Book Dummy Award.
Stefen is currently based in Beijing with his wife and two young children.
CV
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2019 “Equivalence”, 75th Session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, United Nations Conference Centre, Bangkok, Thailand
2018 "Homeless", NUS Museum, Singapore
2018 “The Poverty Line”, United Nations Conference Centre, Bangkok, Thailand
2018 "The Poverty Line", Georgetown Festival, Whiteaways Arcade, Penang, Malaysia
2017 "Equivalence - The Ecological Footprint of Fish", Lianzhou Foto Festival, Lianzhou, China
2017 "Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime. - Aristotle", Myanm/art, Yangon, Myanmar
2017 "Equivalence", Objectifs Centre for Photography and Film, Singapore
2015 “deTour”, PMQ, Hong Kong
2015 “L’exposition MONEY - Les Nuits Photographiques”, Le Pavillon Carré de Baudouin, Paris
2015 “Second Photo Biennial - Unfamiliar Asia”, CAFA Museum, Beijing
2015 “The Poverty Line”, Studio 94, Taipei
2012 “Caochangdi PhotoSpring: Arles in Beijing”, Three Shadows Gallery, Beijing
2012 "3D in 4 Continents", Arts House, Singapore
2011 “The Poverty Line - China", Newton Circus, Singapore
2006 “Climbing the Human Spirit - an Everest Journey”, The National Library, Singapore
Selected Group Exhibitions
2019 "Intersect: Technology, Belief and the Environment", FotoFest, Houston, Texas
2019 "Athens Photo Festival", Benaki Museum, Athens, Greece
2019 "Milano Photo Week", Italy
2018 “Equivalence - The Ecological Footprint of Fish”, 2018 Xishuangbanna Foto Festival, Xishuangbanna, China,
2018 "Capitalist Realism: The loss of the future", Thessaloniki PhotoBiennale 2018, Thessaloniki Museum of Photography, Thessaloniki, Greece
2018 "Transitions II: Post-conflict: reframing a dialogue", Getxophoto International Image Festival 2018, Getxo, Spain
2017 "Here I Live- XII Annual International Media-Forum of young journalists of Eurasia «Dialogue of Cultures»", the State Hermitage Museum, Saint-Petersberg, Russia
2017 "5th International Vision Methods Conference", Singapore Institute of Technology, Singapore
2017 "Photo Speaks 2017", Mirae Baeknyeon Gwan Wolhae, Sangmyung University, Seoul, South Korea
2017 "Environmental Photo Festival »Horizons Zingst«", Baltic Sea, Germany
2017 "Shanghai International Photography Festival", China Art Museum, China
2016 "Desire and Need", Ark Gallery, Amanasalto Shanghai, China
2015 “Observations of the Ordinary by Chow3”, ION Art gallery, Singapore
2015 “Picturing Change: Visual Culture and the Art of Advocacy”, White Box Publika, Malaysia
2013 “WYNG Masters Award”, Artistree, Hong Kong
2013 “China Stories”, Museum of Modern Art, Tblisi, Georgia
2012 “Transience”, China House, Penang
2011 “Moment of Recognition”, International Center of Photography, New York
2011 “Photography Open Salon”, Galerie Huit, Arles
2009 “Prix de la Photographie”, Espace Dupon Gallery, Paris
2009 “Life and Dreams - Pingyao International Photography Festival”, China
2006 “Ngee Ann Photographic Exhibition”, Singapore
2005 “HYPE”, The Arts House, Singapore
Jury Duty
2020 British Journal of Photography, OpenWalls Arles, France
2013-2016 Photography Director and Jury, The Other Hundred, Hong Kong
2006 - 2016 The Noise Award, National Arts Council, Singapore
2015 Nikon Photography Awards, Shanghai
2015 LIGHT & LIFE, National Geographic Live and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
2015 Light in Your Heart, Shin Kong Insurance, Taiwan
2014 Head of Jury, Crowbar Awards, Photography, Singapore
2013 Nikon Photography Awards, Tokyo
Lectures
2019 Singapore Young Leaders Forum, Singapore
2019 Reminders Project Stronghold, Tokyo, Japan
2019 Why, IDEO, Nairobi, Kenya
2018 Committee on Social Development Fifth Session, United Nations, Bangkok, Thailand
2016 Reporting on Inequality, Asian Journalism Forum, Singapore
2016 Lee Kuan Yew School of Policy, Singapore
2016 Zanadu Beijing 2016 IDEO Shanghai
2015 Picturing Poverty Conference, University of Science Po, Paris
2015 BODW, Hong Kong
2015 TBWA Singapore
2015 TEDxKyoto, Kyoto
2015 TEDxTaipei, Taipei
2015 LIGHT & LIFE, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
2015 National Taiwan University, Taiwan
2014 APEC Women Leadership Summit, Beijing
2014 TEDxKL, Kuala Lumpur
2012 Global Talent Search, TED @ Shanghai
2012 School of Visual Arts
2008 TEDxBeijing, Beijing
Awards
2019 Winner of Luma Rencontres Dummy Book Award Arles 2019 at the Rencontres d'Arles
2019 Shortlist, Vontobel Contemporary Photography Prize, Switzerland
2019 Wood Pencil, D&AD Awards, London
2019 Merit, Tokyo Type Directors Club, Japan
2016 Honorable Mentions, Moscow International Photo Awards, Russia
2015 Outstanding Alumni, Temasek Junior College, Singapore
2014 Nominated, Young Global Leaders, World Economic Forum
2013 2nd Prize, World Press Photo, Amsterdam
2013 Nominated, Prix Pictet, Switzerland
2013 Finalist, WYNG Contemporary Art Prize, Hong Kong
2013 Winner, AI-PI, Latin American Fotografia
2011 Grand Prize, Arles Open Photography Salon, Galerie Huit, Arles
2010 1st Prize, Shipyards, Advertising, PX3, Paris
2010 Winner, World in Focus, National Geographic, New York
2010 Honorable Prize, China Workers, Px3, Paris
2009 3rd Prize, Photojournalism, Sports, PX3, Paris
2008 Winner, Eddie Adams Workshop, New York
2008 Winner, PDN Billboard Contest, New York
2008 Honorable Mention, International Photo Awards, New York
2008 Singapore Hero, Fortis, Singapore
2007 Young Outstanding Alumni, National University of Singapore
2006 Named Asia's Finest Photographers, Nikon