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Visual History:
Alice Gao
Alice Gao is a celebrated lifestyle and food photographer best known for capturing spellbinding still-life images. Her work has been published in T: The New York Times Style Magazine, Kinfolk, Conde Nast Traveller, among other publications. She is also an Instagram phenomenon who has attracted more than 700,000 followers.
Gao as a Child, 1990
This is Gao in central New Jersey, where she grew up. "Chasing squirrels was a specialty of mine," she says.
"The False Mirror" by Rene Magritte, 1996
Gao took a few years of drawing and painting classes throughout elementary school. "Magritte was my absolute favorite, and this was the first painting I can remember really trying to analyze," she says.
Self-Portrait by Gao, 2008
In college, while studying economics and consumer psychology, Gao began taking self-portraits as a creative outlet. "I emptied out my bank account one year to pick up an SLR off Craigslist," she says. "It was a turning point, albeit a late one."
Photo Taken by Gao in China, 2009
"When I visited relatives in rural China, everyone thought I was crazy for being so captivated by this kitchen and the steam," she says. "I still love those doors."