Helen Mengzhu Li is a visual artist and photographer straddling the cultural landscapes of both China and the UK, and her work is an exploration of the intricate identities that shape East Asian women. Graduating with a Master’s degree in Contemporary Photography and Philosophy from Central Saint Martins has profoundly influenced her artistic vision, enabling her to interrogate the complexities of belonging, particularly within the dynamics of mother-daughter relationships in only-child families. Her art is a reflection of personal narratives intertwined with broader societal themes, where intimacy, conflict and cultural expectations collide. “Daughter of My Mother” examines the shifting mother-daughter bond after a father’s death, revealing intimacy, tension and contradiction, and capturing fragility, femininity and the interplay of love, aspiration and regret.