Kiliii Yuyan

Photographer Kiliii Yuyan tells the stories of lives bound to the land and sea. Informed by ancestry that is both Nanai/Hèzhé (East Asian Indigenous) and Chinese, he searches for human insight through different cultural perspectives. Kiliii makes photographic stories for the pages of National Geographic, other major publications.

Arctic survival skills, coldwater diving, and a penchant for listening have been critical for Kiliii’s projects in extreme environments and cultures outside his own. On assignment, he has survived a stalking polar bear, escaped pounding waves diving with sea otters, and found kinship at the edges of the world. In addition, Kiliii builds traditional kayaks, part of the cultural memory of Northern Indigenous culture.

In 2023, Kiliii received one of National Geographic's highest honors, the Eliza Scidmore Award, and was named one of PDN's 30 Photographers in 2019. He is a member of Indigenous Photograph and Diversify Photo. His work appears in galleries and museums worldwide and has been honored by POYi, Leica, PDN, ASMP, CommArts, and Px3. Kiliii also educates and inspires with speaking events around the world, including NatGeo Live! He is based out of traditional Duwamish lands (Seattle, USA), but is usually found under the sea or floating on Arctic ice.