Q&A: Huy Dinh Dissects Humans’ Experience With Nature in “HUMAN / NATURE”

☆ By Patrick Zavorskas ☆

IN BEARING IT ALL WITH COMPLETE VULNERABILITY AND OPENNESS — Huy Dinh's latest photo series "HUMAN / NATURE" strips away the conceptions of our relationship with nature. As a tribute to the provocative, whimsical, and often transcending photography of Ren Hang, Huy Dinh explores a new, darker side of himself, surpassing his previous work's light and airy aesthetic. This photo series is raw and enigmatic — every photo instilled with ritualistic spontaneity that seems to encompass the stillness in which it exudes.

Often influenced by the people that Huy comes across within his life, this series continues to grow and build upon his comfortable familiarity — pushing himself in a new direction. Featuring an all Asian American cast, he tests our boundaries within the status quo. In the spirit of Ren Hang, Huy ultimately creates a place where art is more accessible and representative of the marginalized communities in which it supports. Read more about Huy Dinh's journey in creating "HUMAN / NATURE" in our interview below!

LUNA: Hey Huy! To start, I just wanted to congratulate you on the release of your first photobook, "HUMAN / NATURE!” How does it feel to finally have it out?

DINH: Thank you so much! It honestly feels like a dream — I’ve been wanting to create a photo book now for years, and I’m so happy that “HUMAN / NATURE” ended up being the first one. This photo book has been my priority for the past four months because I only wanted to release something I’m absolutely proud of, and I believe this is that. “HUMAN / NATURE” is my favorite personal piece of work yet, and I’m ecstatic that it’s finally out for the world to see.

LUNA: That’s awesome — definitely understandable! I did want to ask you how the project first began — when did you first conceive of the idea to create "HUMAN / NATURE?”

DINH: Well, in the fall of 2020 — during my final semester at CSULB [California State University Long Beach] — I decided to take an intro to photography class to expand my knowledge of my craft's fundamentals. During the semester, my professor Chelsea Mosher (a huge shoutout to her) introduced me to Ren Hang's works. I immediately fell in love. The final project for that class was to create a photo book, and I decided to make mine inspired by Ren Hang, because his playful and provocative photography moved me. After the semester ended and I had turned in my project, I was so excited about what I had created that I couldn't resist expanding on it. In the following months, I would manically work at revising and adding to the photo book until it was exactly the way I wanted it to be seen. Eventually, "HUMAN / NATURE" was born.

LUNA: What I love about this series is that you characterized it as an “exploration of the questionable distinction between humanity and nature.” How would you describe our relationship with nature?

DINH: I would describe our relationship with nature as deeply intertwined very paradoxically because we need nature, but nature doesn’t need us. However, humankind seems to do everything in its power to harm and exploit nature. In my opinion, there’s something quite contradictory about that. I don’t want to go too deep into what I think our relationship with nature means because I truly want the viewer to develop their own interpretation of it. That’s the best way to experience art.

LUNA: I certainly agree! I also really like that, in producing the atmosphere of the photo series, you focused heavily on working with your environment to create the overall composition for the photos. Do you find that there is a big difference shooting in nature versus shooting in a studio?

DINH: Honestly, I don’t typically shoot in studios, so I was super comfortable being in a [natural] environment. However, shooting with nude models was completely new territory for me. What made it really crazy was all of the shoots for “HUMAN / NATURE” were done in public places. It was an absolute thrill to work with the models to not get caught or seen. There were multiple times where we would hear strange noises around us while we were in the woods and it was genuinely terrifying. At the end of the day, I’m glad we never got caught or in trouble, but there were definitely times where we were close. It was an extremely exhilarating experience overall, and I believe going through it with the models really strengthened our bond. Shoutout Angelo Bautista, Ashley Chang, Danitza Trujano, Joseph Do, Tri Tran, and William Nguyen — you guys are amazing. ♥

LUNA: Going a little deeper into your work, there is almost something rather primitive and ritualistic about the photos within this series. Were these themes something that was planned from the start? Do you think that these qualities work within the aesthetic of the shoot?

DINH: I studied Ren Hang's work extensively and found two main themes in his photography that stood out to me. These two themes were freedom of expression and spontaneity. To adhere to these themes, most of the shoots ended up being quite improvisational and on the spot, hopefully giving them a sense of poetry and lightness. The primitive and ritualistic themes you identified definitely weren't planned but most likely stem from the other two themes I mentioned before. I believe these qualities definitely work within the shoots' aesthetic because, on the surface, everything might look simple and natural. Still, the images as a whole become more elegant and complex. However, this is just what I think! I ultimately want the viewer to be open to any other themes they might feel while looking at the photo book.

LUNA: I will say that these photos are also very provocative — especially compared to previous work of yours. Is this in direct tribute to Ren Hang?

DINH: Yes, as I really wanted to push myself and do something I’ve never done before. I’ve detailed “HUMAN / NATURE” as a “tribute to Ren Hang” because discovering his controversial work is what ultimately inspired me to step out of my comfort zone and shoot nude. I even purchased the same analogue Minolta camera Ren Hang used because I wanted to take photographs freely, in a single press of a button just like he did. I placed such a huge emphasis on honoring Ren Hang in this photo book because I believe that his work is what influenced me to level up as a photographer. Without his photos inspiring me, I don’t think I would have grown as an artist in the same powerful way.

LUNA: Similar to Ren Hang, you primarily showcase Asian American models within your photography. I am curious as to why you think it is important to highlight and photograph people within these communities?

DINH: I think it is important because I simply don’t see enough representation for marginalized communities in popular media.

LUNA: Do you think as a society, we need to do better in showcasing more marginalized communities within art and media?

DINH: Absolutely.

LUNA: Lastly, is there anything you want people to take away from "HUMAN / NATURE”?

DINH: Ultimately, I want people to make up their own mind about what they think “HUMAN / NATURE” means. I want them to fill in the blanks by themselves because I’ve always believed experiencing art that way is more exciting.

CLOSING STATEMENT FROM HUY DINH:

Thank you to The Luna Collective for giving me this opportunity. I’ve been a fan of the magazine for years, so this feature is a huge milestone for me. It’s been an absolute treat having this conversation with Patrick — his questions were fantastic. And finally, thank you so much to everyone out there supporting me as well — nothing can hurt us. Much love ♥️

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“I want to set the mood for younger emerging artists in Toronto, to be like, ‘Hey, you could, like, fucking work with literally anyone who has a kind soul.’ I do want to uplift the artist community. I do think collaboration is important, because if you wanna be in the community, you're gonna have to collaborate one way or another." - Cruz ⭐️ 🎞Allowing themself to take a more vulnerable & meaningful approach with their work, photographer Cruz is combining her creative talent with her passion for mental health advocacy. Read more about this incredible artist & how quarantine shifted her work + about the work they are doing for the community in our feature on the site now 💞