Kaihao Luo, This Place (Portrait 2020)

I am one of around 250,000 Chinese International students that currently live and study in Australia. When I first arrived my accommodation fell through, leaving me with no choice but to spend one month in a youth hostel. It was not until years later that I realised this form of insecure housing and instability was something many other international students experience. Moving to a new country can be exciting and rewarding. Yet at times, this strange environment and unfamiliar culture, exaggerated gaps in language and daily misunderstandings become deep chasms that uproot and separate us from our homes. The pressure from family members, the stress of visas and paperwork, the shifting and unstable housing can jeopardise relationships, daily life and mental health. Through my documentary practice, I became a listener and the witness of many stories with similar experiences; the education systems are built upon an economic model that cannot fully understand the internal and external struggles that many young international students have to face.

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