Women in Film & Photography 2025 Exhibition
Mekong – The Mother of Rivers | ORE HUIYING

The Mekong River, flowing through China, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, is more than a waterway; it is a lifeline for millions, carrying the weight of history, culture, and survival. Yet, as dams and industrialisation reshape its course, the traditions, livelihoods, and connection to nature held by its communities face an uncertain future.

My project explores the delicate relationship between the river and its people in Laos and Cambodia. Through intimate portrayals of daily life, I document villagers whose lives are intertwined with the Mekong’s rhythms. Their routines, while acts of endurance, are becoming increasingly fragile as dams and climate change threaten this ancient bond.

What these communities carry – fish, water, stories, and memories –  are not just necessities but symbols of identity, resistance, and hope. As the river’s ecosystems face potentially irreversible damage, the act of carrying becomes a precarious balancing act.

As a photographer, I bear witness to this unfolding crisis. My work goes beyond documenting the river’s decline; it seeks to understand the human cost of progress. The images I create invite viewers to confront the ethical and environmental implications of development and displacement.

Ultimately, this project is a meditation on what we choose to carry forward, as individuals, communities, and a global society. It challenges dominant narratives of progress that often silence those most affected, and urges us to consider the legacy we leave behind. Through visual storytelling, I aim to amplify the resilience of the Mekong’s people, asking us to reflect on what we carry, and what we let go.

About Ore Huiying
Ore Huiying is a documentary photographer from Singapore. Her practice revolves around storytelling, which she believes is fundamental to human beings. She grew up in rural Singapore, but was uprooted to an urban environment as the country underwent development. As a result, Ore is drawn to the narratives of people and places affected by development in Southeast Asia, where many countries are still transitioning from subsistence to market economies.

In 2019, Ore was awarded a National Geographic Grant to continue her work on the Mekong River, examining the impact of Chinese-built dams on the most important river in Southeast Asia. In 2018, she was recognized by World Press Photo 6×6 Global Talent Program, which identifies and promotes 6 visual storytellers from each of the world’s six continents. That same year, Ore won the top honour of the IPA award for her series of an abandoned Chinese casino town in Laos. In 2013, she was nominated for ICON de Martell Cordon Bleu, a photography award in Singapore that honours photographers’ original vision and dedication to their craft.

Ore has held solo exhibitions at Objectifs, at Icat gallery in Vientiane, Laos and also at Angkor Photo Festival in Siem Reap, Cambodia. She has participated in numerous group exhibitions, including the Beijing Photo Festival and Xishuangbanna Photo Festival in China, Pera Museum in Istanbul, Turkey, and Singapore International Photo Festival. Apart from working on personal projects, Ore does commissioned work for international publications like The New York Times, Washington Post, Bloomberg, Le Monde, and Getty Images, as well as for NGOs and commercial clients.

Ore completed her Masters of Arts in Photojournalism & Documentary Photography at the London College of Communication in United Kingdom in 2010. After 3 years of working and living in London, she returned to Singapore, to focus her investigation of the progression of Southeast Asian societies.

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