Brian Van Lau

Brian Van Lau
Dad's Shave, 2019
Paper Size: 11x14 inches
Edition of 5
Inkjet print produced by Light Work and signed by the artist.

My father left our family in 2010 to return to Vietnam to start his life anew, and a decade later, was diagnosed with severe brain cancer. As his health began to wane drastically, and my feelings of deepened alienation and betrayal resurfaced, my father in an attempt to mend our relationship made a proposition to collaborate upon a series of photographs documenting what was ultimately an unsuccessful journey to recovery.

In the wake of his passing, our brief collaboration unveiled the irremediable complexities and tensions left between us. An allegory inverted, "We're Just Here For the Bad Guys" depicts my Prodigal’s father voyaging outwards for success and phantasmal glory at the abandonment of his son, now confronted by the implosion and evidence of his own shame; myself, stuck in an obligatory forgiveness.

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Brian Van Lau (b.1996, Honolulu, HI) is a Vietnamese-American photographer based between Honolulu, HI and Los Angeles, CA. His work is about searching for fictitious evidence. He is a 2025 Penumbra Workspace A-I-R, a recipient of the Aperture x Google Creator Labs Grant in 2024, and a runner-up for the Aperture Portfolio Prize in 2023. He is the founder and curator of Arcanite Pictures, an online platform and publisher dedicated to highlighting emerging artists. He has been commissioned and featured on The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Vogue, and many more.

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