ABOUT
Photographer Kiliii Yuyan reveals the hidden stories of polar regions, wilderness and Indigenous communities. Informed by ancestry that is both Nanai (Siberian Native) and Chinese-American, he explores the the human relationship to the natural world from different cultural perspectives. Kiliii is an award-winning contributor to National Geographic Magazine and other major publications.
Both wilderness survival skills and empathy have been critical for Kiliii’s projects in extreme environments and cultures outside his own. On assignment, he has fled collapsing sea ice, weathered botulism from fermented whale blood, and found kinship at the edges of the world. In addition, Kiliii builds traditional kayaks and contributes to the revitalization of northern Indigenous culture.
Kiliii is a 2020 NiaTero Storytelling fellow, Pulitzer Center grantee, and one of PDN's 30 Emerging Photographers (2019). His work has been exhibited worldwide and received some of photography's top honors. Kiliii's public talks inspire others about photography, Indigenous perspectives and wilderness around the globe. Kiliii is based out of Seattle, but can be found across the circumpolar Arctic much of the year.
Selected Press
Speaking Engagements
- 2020, The Camera is My Voice, National Museum of Ras Al Kaimah, UAE
- 2019, People of the Whale, Museum of Art, Fort Collins, CO
- 2019, A Conversation with NatGeo’s Kiliii Yuyan and Jen Samuel, Fort Collins, CO
- 2019, Season of the Whale, National Geographic Photography Seminar, Washington D.C.
- 2019, Design Perspectives from Indigenous Culture, AirBnB: Into Thin Air, Seattle, WA
- 2018, On the Sea Ice, We Wear White, Glazer’s Camera, Seattle, WA
- 2018, On the Sea Ice, We Wear White, George Eastman Museum, Rochester, NY
- 2015 Living Wild 2015, DPReview PIX, McCall Hall, Seattle, WA
Awards & Honors
- Nia Tero Storytelling Fellow, 2020
- US Embassy Visiting Artist: Ras Al Kaimah Fine Arts, 2020
- International Photography Awards, 2019, First Place, Press/Feature Story
- PDN Photo Annual, Feature Story & Personal Work, 2019
- PDN's 30 New and Emerging Photographers, 2019
- PCNW 22nd Juried Exhibition, 2019, First Place
- Speaker, National Geographic Photography Seminar, 2019
- Best of ASMP, 2018, First Place, Series
- Eddie Adams XXXI
- PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris 2018, Bronze, Feature Story
- PDN World in Focus 2017, 1st Place, Photo Essay
- PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris 2017, Gold, Press
- Critical Mass 2017, Top 50
- PDN Photo Annual 2017, Personal Work
- International Photography Awards 2017, Silver, Deeper Perspective
- Communication Arts Annual 2017, Multimedia
- Sienna International Photo Awards 2017, HM, Editorial
- International Photographer of the Year 2016, Silver, Editorial
- Sony World Photo Awards 2016, Shortlist, Still Life
- PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris 2015, HM, Press
- International Photography Awards 2015, HM, Feature Story, Portrait
- Communication Arts Annual 2015, Stock
Selected Exhibitions
- 2020, Connected Communities, National Museum of Ras Al Khaimah, UAE
- 2019, People of the Whale, Center for Fine Art Photography, Museum of Art Fort Collins, CO
- 2019, PCNW 22nd Juried Exhibition, Photographic Center NW, Seattle, WA
- 2019, Stories from the Arctic Refuge, Photoville, New York, NY
- 2019, How We See Ourselves: Natives Photograph, Photoville, New York, NY
- 2018, On the Sea Ice, We Wear White, Glazer’s Camera, Seattle, WA
