The voice of Gulangyu - women’s island

Dawn River

Yuku

Muki Pan

A person standing at the beach during nighttime with the ocean and sailboats in the background.

Born in Jiangxi — one of the least gender-equal and least educationally developed regions in China — and raised in Shanghai, Muki Pan’s work grows out of the tension between two worlds: the place that shaped her, and the place she chose.

Working primarily with black-and-white film, she examines how gender, space, and memory define life for women in East Asia. Her images often appear quiet on the surface, yet beneath them run questions about mobility, constraint, and who is allowed to look — and be seen.

Beyond photography, she builds platforms for visibility and discourse. She founded Women’s Image Almanac(女性影像档案馆), a research-driven project on Asian women photographers, and edits Moon Letter(影像半月刊), a bi-monthly publication exploring feminist visual culture.

Her work has been exhibited internationally, including Artpil’s 30 Under 30 Women Photographers 2025, Torino Art Week, PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai, and BAN SHAN Gallery Tokyo.

Exhibitons

2025

11/1 — 12/16 |30 Under 30 Women Photographers 2025 | Artpil, ParisTorino Art Week

9/22 — now | SENSE of BOUNDARY Online Show (Against secondhand cigarette)|Instagram

5/8 — 5/11 | Shanghai Photofair 全息涟漪|PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai X 可颂, Shanghai

3/7 — 5/12| We are the Granddaughters of the Witches You Couldn’t Burn Group Exhibition | Light&Art, Foshan

2024

6/11 — 6/23|Underground Workshop Group Exhibition | BAN SHAN Gallery, Tokyo