Scott Cai, Vinegar Ln, 2024. Archival pigment print on Ilford Smooth Cotton Rag, 1275 x 1045mm (framed).

Scott Cai is a contemporary photographer living and working in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. With a discerning eye for detail and a talent for uncovering hidden beauty in the mundane, Cai’s work delves into the essence of suburban corners, capturing the subtle energies that define our existence.

Cai’s ongoing project Ordinary Auckland, of which Vinegar Lane stems from, aims to unveil the often-unnoticed patterns, textures, objects, and shapes that inhabit Auckland’s suburban neighborhoods. By diligently observing these details, Cai presents new and unusual evidence of our own reality, and he extends an invitation to viewers to join him in this exploration.

‘Wandering cul-de-sacs or venturing beyond the urban periphery, Tāmaki Makaurau-based photographer Scott Cai has been actively refining his craft–suspending quiet moments that might otherwise go unnoticed. Whether it’s the vivid, primary colours that glow with a subtle aura on a blue sky day, or the soft outlines of tropical plants pressed against a hazy window; Cai isolates commonplace details for his viewer to see in a new light. His work encourages a shift in attention – transporting the viewer into a mode of observation. Momentarily lifted from the noise of modern living, the artist reveals the beauty of vernacular compositions through his heightened perspective.’