Lee Lin Chin, stylesetter and former broadcaster, was born in Indonesia and raised in Singapore, where in 1968 she began working in television and radio. After arriving in Australia in 1980 she worked as a translator of Chinese language films and with ABC radio in Darwin and Newcastle before joining SBS as a newsreader in 1988, gaining devoted viewers through her stern delivery and superbly-cut tops and jackets. As host of the network's Fashionista program she built a reputation as a style authority, in 2008 curating the National Archives of Australia exhibition of historical fashion photographs, Strike a Pose … With Lee Lin Chin. Known also as a comedian and a voice for social change, she has a huge social media following although she posts little, if anything, herself, retaining an intriguing air of mystery. Among the causes Chin supports is The Social Studio, an enterprise dedicated to creating employment and educational pathways for young people who have been refugees.
Photographer Ingvar Kenne spent a couple of hours with Lee Lin Chin in her friend's painting studio, and they went outside late in the afternoon so he could take 'one last shot' – this one. He recalls 'we all ended up at the pub afterwards exchanging tales.' She is pictured in a dress by Japanese-born Australian designer Akira Isogawa.
Gift of the artist 2006
© Ingvar Kenne
The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. Works of art from the collection are reproduced as per the
Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). The use of images of works from the collection may be restricted under the Act. Requests for a reproduction of a work of art can be made through a
Reproduction request. For further information please contact
NPG Copyright.
