Charlie Kwai
About
Charlie Kwai was born in Bethnal Green, London in 1986. He studied Graphic Design at Central Saint Martins in London and went onto pursue his interest in photography and film in 2014. Charlie is known for his honest, up-front and energetic street photographs from around the World in places such as Mexico, Ghana, China and the UK. Kwai is inspired to photograph in locations that are overlooked and difficult to navigate, centering his work around places that would otherwise not exist without the people who are there. His debut solo show ‘Parade’ was in July 2015 at Dream Bags Jaguar Shoes, London followed by ‘Gold Dust’ in the same space the following summer. Kwai’s self published book ‘Overtime’ was exhibited at KK Outlet. In the same year he successfully crowd funded ‘Sweet Dreams’ on Kickstarter. In 2018 he self published Al Pastor with an exhibition at Haut Space, London. In 2023 he successfully crowd-funded ‘Magnetite’ on Kickstarter. Charlie continues to work on several personal projects around the UK and often travels abroad for his own work and on assignment.
Selected Press
Features
2023 It's Nice That: Charlie Kwai documents at a slower pace
2023 The Face: Photographing Italian holidaymakers in all their glory
2020 It’s Nice That: Charlie Kwai on his documentation of a changing Britain
2019 It’s Nice That: Charlie Kwai photographs Ghanaians buried in sand
2018 National Geographic: Meet the 'Piñata King' of This Small Mexican Town
2018 It’s Nice That: Charlie Kwai's latest series "flirts with a seductive facade of Chinatown"
2017 AnOther: Photographs of Fashion Week As Seen From the Other Side
2017 Vice: Glitter, Wining and Sun: Notting Hill Carnival in Photos
2017 Les Inrock: Stress, crowds, euphoria: behind the scenes at a fashion show
2017 It’s Nice That: Sweet Dreams: Tripod City’s latest adventure focuses its lens on Mexico
2017 Huck: Shooting love, life and death on the streets of Mexico
2017 It’s That That: Charlie Kwai lets you sneak behind the scenes at London Fashion Week
2017 Wepresent: Three photographers give their personal take on the same place
2016 BJP: Charlie Kwai's Unapologetically Confrontational Street Photography
2016 It’s Nice That: Charlie Kwai captures the action on Bafta’s red carpet
2016 It’s Nice That: “Candid and erratic” Ghana street photography
2016 Vice: The Beautiful People of London’s Rowdiest Street Fair
2015 Creative Boom: Charlie Kwai's Piccadilly Circus celebrates the eccentricities of human life
2015 Creative Boom: China's eclectic culture is captured on camera by Charlie Kwai
2015 It's Nice That: Charlie Kwai is photographing the excited faces of Piccadilly Circus
Commissions
Business Week
ES Magazine
Noisey
Season Zine
The Face
The Wire
Vice
Volkskrant Magazine
Wall Street Journal
WeTransfer
Exhibitions
2024 Portrait of Humanity Vol.6
2024 Art of Paper and Paste
2019 Portrait of Humanity Vol.1
2019 Salon
2018 Overtime
2018 Live Archives
2018 All our Friends
2017 Gold Dust
2015 Parade
2015 I Scream Factory
Films
Talks
Street London 17 & 18
KK Outlet
Hackney Arts
Fresh Faces
D&AD Festival
Nicer Tuesdays
Redeye
Guest at Greys
Soho House
The Photographers Gallery
Photo Dining Club
About
Charlie Kwai was born in Bethnal Green, London in 1986. He studied Graphic Design at Central Saint Martins in London and went onto pursue his interest in photography and film in 2014. Charlie is known for his honest, up-front and energetic street photographs from around the World in places such as Mexico, Ghana, China and the UK. Kwai is inspired to photograph in locations that are overlooked and difficult to navigate, centering his work around places that would otherwise not exist without the people who are there. His debut solo show ‘Parade’ was in July 2015 at Dream Bags Jaguar Shoes, London followed by ‘Gold Dust’ in the same space the following summer. Kwai’s self published book ‘Overtime’ was exhibited at KK Outlet. In the same year he successfully crowd funded ‘Sweet Dreams’ on Kickstarter. In 2018 he self published Al Pastor with an exhibition at Haut Space, London. In 2023 he successfully crowd-funded ‘Magnetite’ on Kickstarter. Charlie continues to work on several personal projects around the UK and often travels abroad for his own work and on assignment.
Contact
Follow
Selected Press
Features
Another
Creative Boom
Creative Review
Boooooom
BJP
Dazed
El Pais
Fotoroom
Huck
Icon
i-D
It’s Nice That
Les Inrock
Library Paper
Magnum
Metal Magazine
Nataal
National Geographic
Portrait of Humanity
Printed Pages
TPI
Volkskrant Magazine
Commissions
Business Week
ES Magazine
Noisey
Season Zine
The Face
The Wire
Vice
Volkskrant Magazine
Wall Street Journal
WeTransfer
Exhibitions
2024 Portrait of Humanity Vol.6
2024 Art of Paper and Paste
2019 Portrait of Humanity Vol.1
2019 Salon
2018 Overtime
2018 Live Archives
2018 All our Friends
2017 Gold Dust
2015 Parade
2015 I Scream Factory
Talks
Street London 17 & 18
KK Outlet
Hackney Arts
Fresh Faces
D&AD Festival
Nicer Tuesdays
Redeye
Guest at Greys
Soho House
The Photographers Gallery
Photo Dining Club