Inle Photograph - Limited Edition of 15

Travel and Humanist Photographer Based in Paris, Jessie Lie is an independent photographer whose work explores the cultural, spiritual, and human dimensions of the societies she encounters. Through series marked by authenticity and emotion, she documents living traditions and ancestral gestures that shape the identity of peoples. Her first major project, Belief Over Beauty, is a powerful testimony to the ancestral Thai tattoo practice known as Sak Yant — a sacred art in which the body becomes a space for spirituality. For nearly a year, she immersed herself in this spiritual universe, forging close connections with master tattooists (Ajarns) and their disciples, delivering a black-and-white photographic series of striking intensity. These images, both intimate and powerful, reveal a spiritual dimension where the body becomes a vehicle of faith, protection, and identity. Exhibited in iconic venues in Bangkok and featured in several leading Asian magazines, her work affirms an artistic approach rooted in deep listening, respect, and cultural transmission. A passionate traveler, Jessie’s photographic explorations across the globe have nurtured a deep fascination with the “elsewhere” and refined a sensitivity to raw beauty, otherness, and the symbolism of rituals. Her work seeks to establish sincere connections with her subjects, capturing moments of truth that transcend cultural and linguistic boundaries. Her portfolio includes a variety of series: from portraits of children and ethnic communities, to street scenes capturing the essence of daily life, to serene landscapes and explorations of the relationship between humans, animals, and nature. A photographic approach guided by a constant search for authenticity. “I love the immediate impact of an image, a doorway into imagination and interpretation. Travel is my greatest source of inspiration, it deepens my understanding of the world allowing me to act both as a witness and a messenger. Photography is a powerful form of communication. A universal unifier.” . DIRECTED PROJECT . "Belief Over Beauty" The Power of Sak Yan and Ajarns The Thai Traditional Handmade Tattoo and Their Powerful Masters