Maya Davila: What was your first introduction to photography? Since you didn’t major in it at FIT, did you explore this in California or when you came to New York? 

Tessa Young: I had my first DSLR experience in student government in 6th grade. My dad is also a huge camera collector, so I’ve always been around cameras. He has no clue how to use them, but he loves buying them…he even had the original iPhone. The majority of his collection is digital cameras so I used those a lot growing up, but it was nothing serious. Seeing it as a fun, creative outlet was when I started posting on VSCO in high school. [Laughs] I did little aesthetic shoots with my Vans and flowers. Since I was in California, I also took photos at the iconic pink wall. 

MD: That is such a throwback.

TY: Right? That’s when I started thinking about aesthetics and in a way, creative directing. I had a vision and I just wanted to shoot. I see photography not as a profession but more of a creative outlet to be with like-minded people, either in a paid or collaborative way. But it’s usually unpaid.

MD: [Laughs] Real.

TY: When I was applying to colleges in my senior year of high school, I pursued biology and chemistry majors, but for UCLA, I did media. They asked for a portfolio and I had nothing, so I shot everything in 3 weeks over my winter break. I had my friends pretend to kiss each other, self-portrait collages…I developed a bunch of concepts just for that portfolio. That’s when I realized that this was shaping a part of my personality. Before I worked on this, I was shooting casually and it was more documentation, but applying to UCLA felt like photography had solidified itself in my life. Ever since I started telling people I did photography, I was already collaging. I wanted to Photoshop, but I had no clue how to use it, so I just did it by hand. 

MD: Your work for this shoot blew me away, especially that spiral collage with your back facing the camera.

TY: The first spiral collage I did went viral on VSCO. Conceptual photography and collaging have always been hand in hand for me. 

MD: In middle school, I would cut up my Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar magazines and create concepts out of a ton of different imagery, which really sparked my love for fashion. I love how that connects both of us. 

TY: Yes! We need to bring collaging back.

MD: I love how our childhood interests evolved into what we do now. Are any of your dad’s cameras off-limits? 

TY: He’s definitely not that type of person. My family and I are lowkey hoarders. He’ll get a new camera and the old ones will just stay in boxes in his room. I love digging through them, trying to find ones with batteries that are still made so that I can use them. [Laughs] 

MD: My stepdad collects cameras too, but never lets me use them because he says I don’t understand their value. [Laughs]

TY: He just collects them. 

MD: Exactly. I know you don’t study photography formally, your work beautifully embraces the intersectionality of being Taiwanese, queer, and an activist. Your self-portraits evoke a sense of reclaiming the parts of your identity others try to define. How has your approach matured?

TY: I’ve become more intentional with the process rather than the actual final image. In the past, I was pretty influenced by Barbara Kruger’s bold graphics. And you know, Supreme stole her whole thing.

MD: [Laughs] 

TY: I made a self-portrait booklet for my first-semester photography class in community college, and it was an experimental experience. I was inspired by how Kruger redefined how women were perceived within the art world by reclaiming the power of womanhood through satirical pieces. I was fighting against preconceived notions of what being feminine-presenting is like. I wore sheer clothing in one of my self-portraits and I wrapped myself super tightly with yarn to represent the oversexualized exposure women face. Now, I’ve evolved into understanding gender, my sexuality, and overall who I am, and I don’t feel that I have to prove myself. I prioritize making my model—and myself in self-portraits—feel comfortable since other people are witness to that vulnerability. Especially being kinda closeted, but also not really. [Laughs] 

MD: There’s always a mental hurdle with understanding the intent behind art. At some point, you accept that interpretations will vary. One of the most beautiful things about being an artist is that we learn and grow daily. I enjoy watching artists create and be comfortable in their environment. I love that you continue to reclaim your femininity. I spoke about this with Nafisah, but male photographers who capture mostly nude women make me feel so uncomfortable.

TY: They’re crazy. A girl in my class last semester wanted to do portraits of nude women for her thesis, and our professor told her that it was overdone. I was like, ‘Yeah, from a male’s perspective!’

MD: Not a man stopping her. [Laughs] 

TY: He probably did that so she wouldn’t steal his thunder. [Laughs]

MD: I think women should capture women in an intimate setting like that, but that’s just my opinion. It allows for a different level of trust to be built. That’s why visibility for marginalized creatives is crucial, especially with queer existence being attacked under the Trump administration. They are spewing an agenda of hatred and erasing our history. I wanted to hear your reaction to this, especially since you captured the protests on campus last year with the ‘Free Palestine’ movements. Despite FIT’s pushback on students, I remember marching and also seeing you in the crowds.

TY: I just had a conversation about this with my and he brought up how it’s taken us a while to post again. When I was consistently posting, it was centered around documentation of rallies and protests around the Palestinian movement. Even the art I made in other mediums would be focused around resistance. And during that time we questioned why we would create or share anything else besides that. He has a few friends that he’s been messaging from Gaza. They explained that some people who are in unimaginable, genocidal conditions want to see others living a ‘normal’ life, and that being able to see that art is still representation. In terms of art and how I feel about what’s going on, I feel like the word ‘representation’ is so oversaturated sometimes. Some say, “Oh, I want to be the representation for this,” whatever that might be and I just think that’s corny. 

MD: [Laughs]

TY: I think we just need to keep sharing art. I’ve been trying to merge myself into the music scene as a groupie. I intentionally reach out to marginalized artists, not only highlight them visually, but also make a community within that, and amplify their voices in whatever way I can. This helps maintain the idea that there are people out there still who are just living. I’ve been really involved in a lot of activist spaces, but sometimes you have this perspective where you feel so small, even if you’re involved in community mutual aid. When Trump got reinstated back into office, my girlfriend was talking to me about how we should be presenting in public. It’s crazy that we really have to think about that. My trans friends are planning to leave the country by summer.

MD: Oh my God.

TY: Everything is moving so fast. Creating with friends in safe spaces, without thinking about erasure, is how I cope.

MD: It’s a small form of escapism—we have control over our art. 

TY: I work with people who share my morals. That feeling of solidarity also brings a feeling of representation. 

MD: Absolutely. Corporate work is a different environment from what I experience with 2LATE. Certain aspects of my identity don’t exist in my 9 to 5. My magazine keeps me going. [Laughs] We have to keep standing up for our community. It’s heartbreaking to hear that your friends have a plan to leave, and that’s what our circumstances have led to. It’s disgusting how inhumane the Trump administration is. 

TY: I saw the White House Instagram page posted an ASMR-style video of someone being deported. I also saw the news about the 11-year-old girl who took her own life because she was being bullied over her parents’ immigration status. It’s just awful.

MD: Those kids bullying her were a product of their environment, repeating things said at home. I’m not excusing their behaviors, but it’s scary to think about how no one did anything to protect this girl. Everything children hear and see from their families connects to what’s going on. I think the people who are in power now grew up in those sorts of environments where hatred is all that they know…unless you look, talk, and act the same way as them. That anger fuels my writing. And I know you write as well. Artists are truly one of the backbones of society.

TY: I really appreciate how you incorporate these topics into your work. Even when you were at Blush, you would highlight important issues. Like, this is real! It’s happening and necessary to talk about.

MD: Thank you! I mean, you know I love fashion— 

TY: [Laughs]

MD: —but my biggest issue with fashion publications is that they live in a bubble. Maybe they are aware of reality, but their content feels like they’ve blocked it out. 

TY: It’s funny you say that, because I follow DAZED on Instagram, and sometimes they do post some woke shit, but then the other day they’ll say something like, “We need to dismantle the idea that polyamorous people are ugly.” Like what the fuck is going on? Are they for real right now.

MD: [Laughs] I am so happy you mentioned DAZED because I feel the same exact way. I’ll see some gut-wrenching, eye-opening deep story and then the next day it’s like, “How to make your girl squirt in 5 steps or less.” Who the fuck is writing this?

TY: [Laughs]

MD: Some people are so scared of reality that they choose to ignore it altogether. I see that in my  own family, unfortunately. It makes me sad, but I’m grateful that I can learn from them and use art to be vulnerable. Tell me about the process behind your shoot.

TY: Ian Woods inspired me—I love how he merges imagery, especially a collage he did of Zendaya. I wanted to experiment with visual perspectives and play with fluidity. I had so much fun, I enjoy hands-on things and this allowed me to add in elements that I usually don’t work with. I love working with new mediums, like printmaking, because it makes me feel more connected with my art. That’s why I incorporate collaging into my self-portraits, every part is ‘touched’ by me which gives me a sense of control.

MD: I love how you incorporated fashion elements. Your structured grey look worked perfectly with the environment you shot yourself in. Everything felt intentional. The spiral image was especially powerful—your approach to shape and perspective brought it to life. Watching this project evolve from concept to execution was amazing.

TY: Thank you!

MD: Moving to New York from California is a huge shift. I find that if there’s no space for us, we have to create our own. How has that been for you? 

TY: I know I’m a transplant— 

MD: [Laughs]

TY: —but I’ve always been involved in volunteering, especially at my local church. Coming to New York, I had a specific vision for the community I wanted to be in, and I also remember thinking to myself that I could finally be openly gay. [Laughs] My first semester, I worked with EVLoves in the Lower East Side, at their soup kitchen and warming center. When I got involved with Students for Justice in Palestine, I met really cool people who are not only invested in education and resistance, but also helped out local communities. Initially, I didn’t think about contributing creatively, but as I got more involved with different actions, I ended up doing a lot of art and design for people. I questioned if I was inserting myself selfishly, but I realized I was giving back through my skills. Visibility shifts perspectives. When people see themselves documented, it empowers them. 

MD: That’s the beauty of compassion, you can build communities through art. I think other creatives should take note: don’t create just for the sake of it, but understanding the power behind what we do. It was really great hearing more about your story. Thank you, Tessa. 

TY: Thank you!