You Never Walk Alone

PHOTOGRAPHY

Jul 8

You Never Walk Alone, a photo series by Katya Ilina, offers an intimate portrait of London’s K-pop fandom. With warmth and clarity, Ilina captures a vibrant subculture where predominantly female and queer fans reclaim space, challenge gendered biases, and transform shared passion into a powerful expression of identity and joy.

Photography Katya Ilina

"You Never Walk Alone" is a photographic celebration of London’s K-pop fandom through an insider’s lens. My images capture the spaces we claim, like electric concert queues, improvised dance rehearsals, intimate meetups, revealing a sanctuary where predominantly female and queer fans cultivate belonging through shared passion.

While male-dominated fandoms earn status as cultural institutions, women’s interests like K-pop are dismissed as “cringey” or excessive. This project disrupts that gendered bias, showcasing how this community transforms passion into creativity, belonging, and unapologetic joy. Each snapshot bears witness to a space where fans reclaim stereotypes as strength, demanding the same respect given to “serious” male hobbies.

At its core, it’s about power in visibility: when women and queer people love fiercely, that love is revolutionary.

“It’s about power in visibility: when women and queer people love fiercely, that love is revolutionary.”

About Katya

Katya Ilina is an award-winning London-based artist, photographer, and filmmaker whose work explores themes of identity, human experience, and gender expression. Her practice challenges societal barriers, turning her lens to overlooked stories and universal aspects of shared humanity. She often works with women and queer communities, emphasising empowerment and self-determination, drawing inspiration from lived experiences and theoretical frameworks that challenge established social constructs.

Ilina’s work has been exhibited in the UK, France, Germany, Canada, and South Korea. Her notable achievements include third prize at The National Portrait Gallery’s Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize in 2021 and first prize at the Global Photographic Competition "The Human Element" by TIME x American Society of Media Photographers in 2024. In 2023, British Journal of Photography selected her work for publication in Portrait of Britain Vol.6 (Bluecoat Press) and the Open Walls Arles exhibition at Galerie Huit Arles. Her photographs have been featured in Dazed, BBC, The Guardian, The Royal Photographic Society Journal, and Der Greif, among others. Her work is held in public collections, including The Royal Photographic Society (UK) and Toronto Metropolitan University’s Special Collections (Canada). She studied photography at Toronto Metropolitan University (Canada) and the University of Westminster (UK).

To see more of her work follow her on Instagram or visit her Website

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You Never Walk Alone

“It’s about power in visibility: when women and queer people love fiercely, that love is revolutionary.”

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