Cindy Yuan ’26 Combines Portraits with Buddhist Philosophy

Cindy Y. ’26’s research project, Bodhisattva with a Camera: Reimagining Subjectivities in Contemporary Photography Portraiture with Buddhist Philosophy, was recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Research on Literary and Art Development.

Emerging from Cindy’s intensive summer research, during which she completed first-year college–level Sanskrit and undertook a deep study of Buddhist philosophy, the project bridges Western theories of portraiture and Buddhist conceptions of subjectivity. In doing so, Cindy suggests that the Buddhist concept of “Non-Self” (Anātman), that is, the belief that people are deeply interconnected, can offer a new way to think about photographing and seeing others. Her project proposes that photography portraiture need not “capture” people as objects of consumption. She believes that it can rather become a way to express empathy, compassion, and shared humanity.

In her artist statement, Cindy writes, “This Practice-as-Research project reimagines contemporary photographic portraiture theory and practice through early Mahāyāna Buddhist ideas. Informed by my interdisciplinary research in art history, Buddhist philosophy, and photographic theory, I propose a new ethical dimension of universal compassion and social responsibility in understanding and practicing photographic portraiture…by demonstrating my photographic experiments alongside philosophical discussions, I illustrate how adopting the Bodhisattva ethos can help us shift gears from photography conceived as extraction to photography practiced as compassionate co-creation.”

Cindy has presented her findings at multiple conferences, including an oral presentation at the Society for Photographic Education Mid-West Chapter 2025 annual conference and a poster session at the Mid-Atlantic Region Association for Asian Studies, one of the most prestigious Asian Studies conferences in the United States.

She has also shared her work with her peers and teachers through presentations. Her portrait photography exhibition, which further develops the themes of her publication, is currently on view in the Potter Gallery.

Read her full published article here.