Pixy Liao – Experimental Relationship Vol. 1.1

Jiazazhi Press – 2021

The photographs in Pixy Liao’s photobook “Experimental Relationship Vol. 1.1” are a humorous yet sincere examination of Liao’s relationship with a younger man.

Raised in China, Liao had been brought up with the expectation that she will be the younger, less responsible part of a relationship. In the end, she got together with Moro, a man five years her junior. This divergence from the authority and power dynamic she had expected becomes a central part of her playful and very charming series.

“My photos explore the alternative possibilities of heterosexual relationships. Moro made me realize that heterosexual relationship doesn’t need to be standardized. […]
The purpose of this experiment is to break the inherent relationship model and reach a new equilibrium. Because my boyfriend is Japanese, and I am Chinese, this project also describes a love and hate relationship.”
— from Pixy Liao’s introduction