William Yang is a photographer, author and performer best known for his work exploring and giving insight into LGBTIQ+ community and Chinese-Australian identity. Born in 1943 in Mareeba, Queensland, Yang first studied a Bachelor of Architecture at UQ before establishing a career in the arts.
Yang took up social photography as a source of income when beginning a career as a playwright. His photography soon took priority as he established himself as a storyteller of the emergent gay community featured in his exhibition Sydneyphiles (1977) and book Sydney Diary (1984). His pieces document the lives of others but are often also autobiographical, and sometimes feature his own commentary handwritten on images.
With numerous major exhibitions over the decades following, Dr Yang remains a distinguished voice in the creative community. His works are part of collections in major galleries across Australia, as well as in Japan. In 1993 he received the Higashigawa-cho International Photographic Festival Award as International Photographer of the Year, and in 1998 he was awarded a Doctor of Letters honoris causa by UQ.