Yann Layma was born into a French minority in 1962 and inherited the common features of that minority, including, blonde hair, obstinacy, and a love for travel. He started traveling the world at the age of fourteen, fell in love with photography at sixteen and became a professional photographer at eighteen. In 1981, he made his first trip to China when he was nineteen, since then, he has been to China so many times that even he can't remember how many.
Yann Layma is probably the best photographer at portraying Chinese themes, yet very few media have covered him or published his works. His footprints have covered almost every corner of China during the last twenty years. Compared to Chinese photographers, Yann Layma has a special way of documenting China’s development.

Yann Layma (b. 1962, Lannion, France)

In 2005, because of his outstanding contributions to the Sino-France Cultural Exchange program, Yann Layma was awarded the French Cavalier Medal.

Solo Exhibitions:
1994 "Mountain Sculptors," Visa pour l'Image, Perpignan, France
2004 "100 Portraits of the Dragon," Luxembourg Gardens, Paris, France
2007 "Twenty Years of Photographing China," Inter Art Center / Gallery, Beijing, China
2009 "Twenty Years of Photographing China," Lishui International Photography Festival, Lishui, China
2010 "Universal Shanghai," Maison de la Chine, Paris, France
2011 "Butterfly," Pingyao International Photography Festival, Pingyao, China
2012 "Sculptors of the Mountains," Xishuangbanna International Photography Festival, Xishaungbanna, China
2014 "Sculptors of the Mountains," Yuanyang International Photography Festival, Yuanyang, China
2014 "Sea Songs: The Dong People," PhotoChina Original International Photographic Exhibition, Guiyang and Liupanshui, China

Group Exhibitions:
1987 Biennale of Photography, Turin, Italy
1988 FotoFest Biennale, Houston, USA
1988 Les Rencontres d'Arles, Arles, France
2004 "The Forbidden City International Photography Exhibition," Palace Museum, Beijing, China

Publications and Awards:
2003 Published China
2006 Received the Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mérite from President Jacques Chirac
2009 Published Paris
2011 China Right Here named Yann Layma one of the Cultural Ambassadors of a Beautiful China