William Yang - The Story Only I Can Tell

William Yang was born in North Queensland, his grandparents having migrated from China in the 1880s. After completing a Bachelor of Architecture, he moved to Sydney in 1969 and worked as a freelance photographer documenting Sydney's colourful social life. His first solo exhibition, Sydneyphiles, in 1977, caused a sensation because of its frank depiction of the Sydney gay and party scene. In the 1980s, Yang began to explore his Chinese heritage, and his photographic themes expanded to include landscapes and the Chinese in Australia. As well as photography, Yang also tours performance pieces in which he recounts stories in front of his images projected onto a wall or large video screen. His work is held by many institutions including the National Gallery of Australia and the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. Yang will present The Story Only I Can Tell at the upcoming Tauranga Arts Festival, where, as well as presenting his own show, he is also working with four migrants to Tauranga to help them present their own stories.