Kantaya New is a Thai–Singaporean photo artist based in Singapore, working across street and conceptual photography.
Her street photographs are a reflex response to modern life — where everything feels over-optimized, she seeks out the random moments where that order breaks down. She finds joy in uncovering "unpolished diamonds" buried in the everyday: odd visual coincidences, unexpected timing, chance encounters. Playfulness and humour draw viewers in first; the deeper reflection comes after. Her aim: to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.
Her conceptual practice uses staged scenes to explore what words cannot easily say — modern relationships in A Modern Day Affair, the pull between reality and imagination in The Little Prince, and questions of identity in Dare to be You.
Across both practices, she treats photography as slow living — a way of slowing down to notice what is already there.
Having lived in Bangkok, Tokyo, and Singapore, she brings a perspective shaped by all three cities. Her work has been exhibited across Asia, Europe, and North America, and she served as a jury member for the Sony Alpha MX Street Photo Contest 2026.
Selected Awards
— Leica Street Photo Contest — Finalist (2026)
— 7th Annual FujiFanBoys Best of Show — 2nd and 5th Place (2026)
— Photography Foundation Awards — Social Documentary, Runner-Up (2026)
— Sony Alpha MX Street Photo Contest — 1st Prize (2025)
— LensCulture Art Photography Awards — Editors' Pick (2026)
— Fujifilm Moment Street Photo Awards — 2nd Prize (2024)
— LensCulture Critics' Choice Awards — Winner (2023)
— Sony World Photography Awards — Alpha Female Award, Shortlisted (2022)
— Sony World Photography Awards — Open Competition, Shortlisted (2022)
Selected Press & Features
— Street Photography Magazine — Podcast: "The Serious Business of Being Funny" (2026)
— Leica Camera — Leica Street Photo Contest Exhibition Page, Featured Image (2026)
— 121 Clicks — "30 Stunning Winning Photos From the 2026 Leica Street Photo Awards" (2026)
— Lenscratch — "Kantaya New: A Modern Day Affair" (2025)
— art4d — "Photo Essay: A Modern Day Affair" (2025)
— art4d — "Photo Essay: Coincidences in the Street" (2025)
— All About Photo — Best Rising Photographers of December 2025 (2025)
