My photography documents cultural marginalization, climate change, and political systems, focusing on their impacts on individuals and communities. I am particularly drawn to the personal narratives of those who, through social connection and identity, forge their own spaces of power.

After graduating from the University of Michigan with a degree in Psychology, I moved to Oakland, California, where I studied documentary photography and studio lighting at local community colleges. My early professional work ranged from television production to weddings and commercial photography. Meanwhile, I followed a number of political protests that roiled Oakland and the rest of the country in my spare time, leading me to work with The Oakland Post (2012-2016), the largest African-American weekly newspaper in Northern California. The work I produced during that time gave me invaluable experience navigating complex social landscapes, where I ventured across police lines at political protests, into the homes of well-heeled entrepreneurs, ringside at sold-out arenas of future boxing Hall of Famers, and spaces in-between.

These experiences led me to explore personal projects in greater depth, from documenting a Cuban boxing gym constrained by political realities, to capturing the resilience of diverse subcultures here in the Bay Area. My current project examines the rapid urbanization of Morocco, driven by the urgent realities of climate change. As a mother of two, I am increasingly drawn to stories that resonate on both a personal and global level, exploring the intersection of individual experience and broader social forces.



Exhibits


2024  

Momentum, curated by Malcolm Wallace
Oakland Photo Workshop, Oakland, CA (Group)

Return, APAture Festival, curated by Tanza Solis and Ngân Vũ
Arc Gallery & Studios, San Francisco, CA (Group)

Seize The Gaze, curated by Susan Almazol with Eric Murphy
Joyce Gordon Gallery, Oakland, CA (Group)

2023

The Stories We Tell, curated by Jessica Chen
Oakland Photo Workshop Gallery, Oakland, CA (Group)

2017

Shifting Movements, curated by Michelle A. Lee
SoMArts Gallery, San Francisco, CA (Group)

2016

TOUGH
The Wall at 1920C, San Francisco, CA (Group)

Aesthetic Blitz, curated by Kelsay Myers
The Sequoias Rotunda, San Francisco, CA (Group)

2015    

A Place of Her Own, curated by Cynthia Tom
SOMArts Cultural Center, San Francisco, CA

En La Luchita: Scenes From a Cuban Boxing Gym, curated by Black Moon
William High Gallery at Laney College, Oakland, CA (Solo)

Knockout: Boxing Art, curated by Lena Verderano Reynoso
The Compound Gallery, Oakland, CA (Group)

2013

underCurrents and the Quest for Space, curated by Linda Inson Choy
SoMArts Gallery, San Francisco, CA (Group)

Panels and Presentations


2024  

Artist Panel, APAture Festival Visual Arts
Arc Gallery & Studios, San Francisco, CA

Artist Panel, Seize the Gaze
Joyce Gordon Gallery, Oakland, CA

2023  

Artist Panel, The Stories We Tell
Oakland Photo Workshop Gallery, Oakland, CA

2017  

Guest Speaker, First Exposures
San Francisco, CA

2016    

Guest Speaker, Photojournalism
Laney College, Oakland, CA

2015    

Artist Panel, A Place of Her Own
SoMArts Gallery, San Francisco, CA
  
Guest Speaker, Photojournalism
Laney College, Oakland, CA

2014    

Panelist, A Day in the Life of Asian America
Chinese Historical Society, San Francisco, CA


Awards and Grants

2024    

CatchLight Scholarship, NDA Workshop
New Orleans, LA

2016    

2nd Place in Pro Category: Sports - Other
International Photography Awards

2015  

Artist Residency, A Place of Her Own
San Francisco, CA
Laura Ming Wong © 2025