“Dear Lisa,” is an open letter to my past, present and future self. Built upon my experiences in the Singapore education system, I revisit its role in promoting individuality within the constraints of a collective identity. I relook at how I navigated through themes of conformity, obedience and self within these confines. Through the process, I gained newfound insights into my inner being and what it means to break away from the mould of fulfilling external expectations. Inspired by the strictly enforced rule of hair braiding in my primary and secondary school, I use my hair to represent the structures I was placed into and calculated to achieve excellence in. It features 72 ways to tie a braid in 24 different school-acceptable hairstyles. While there are multitudinous methods to braid hair, a braid is ultimately still a braid.

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Lisa Peh’s Dear Lisa is presented at the 10th Singapore International Photography Festival as part of Shifting Images: Photography from Singapore 2000–2025, under States of Becoming.