I’m JC Candanedo, and I’m a UK-based Queer and Migrant Visual Artist living in London. I use photography to investigate issues of Identity, Mental Health and Ideology, particularly queer and national identities. I'm passionate about using the visual arts to encourage Social Transformation.
SEEING CHANGES
Seeing the lives of these students change from when they started in the programme to when they finished, knowing that we’ve contributed to the look of accomplishment in their faces, has been one of the most enriching experiences of my life.
MODE SIRENS & THE HIDDEN ENTITY
The presentation of Shane Bradford's collection of Mode Sirens, of my photography work entitled Migration and of the performative piece that Max and I created took place on May 7, 2022, in front of approximately 150 people.
TRACES: STORIES OF MIGRATION
While creating this work, I went down a journey of discovering my identity, tracing back my migration journey and the journeys of my family and my ancestors.
AM I MASCULINE ENOUGH?
Masculinity is just performance, and we play different characters according to the inputs of those around us. But, the most difficult role to play is when we are just being ourselves. In today’s world, being ourselves is an act of defiance.
PEEP SHOW
For queer people, having a safe space where you can be yourself, where you can allow yourself to feel vulnerable and freely express your identity, is necessary for our mental health and the natural exploration of the self.
DE-STRESS
On this portraiture project, I explored how working in a creative environment surrounded by a supportive group contributes to the success rate of entrepreneurs and their well-being.
BREXITERS
On this portraiture project, I explored the image that British people have of those who voted in favour of leaving the EU on the 2016 referendum.
CRISI
On this street photography project, I documented how the 2008 economic recession affected the local economy of my neighbourhood in Barcelona forcing hundreds of businesses to shut down.
PRO MUNDI BENEFICIO
This series tells the stories of the plants endemic to the American continent that have greatly benefited the economies of other parts of the world, but that have also been influential in the creation of new cultural identities around the globe.
MIGRATION
In this photography project, Max Gershon and I combined photography and dance to investigate themes of displacement and restriction of movement.
EL VIAJE
In this fashion editorial that we have called El Viaje (The Journey, in Spanish), we convey the idea of wearing your migration journeys on yourself by using pre-loved dresses that have been reclaimed and given a new life.
A QUEER MIND IS A RESILIENT SPACE
In this series, I revisited episodes of my life growing up queer in Panama as a way of releasing pent-up emotions that had been repressed by my brain’s coping mechanism.
QUEER EDUCATION
As an educator, Mark has been challenged for educating children on not using the word gay as an insult. But, for him, education is the chief way to tackle homophobia.
A NEW KIND OF NORMAL
Volkan had colon cancer as a teenager so he had to have his colon removed. His intestine was then brought to the surface of the stomach and out his body through a hole. It is a new reality that takes some time to adapt to.
CATALONIA: A WORK IN PROGRESS
On this portraiture project, I explored the spectrum of opinions that people living in Catalonia have in regards to the Catalan crisis.
BENJAMIN
Benjamin is my friend Patricia’s son. Patricia and her husband are first-generation Brazilian immigrants in London, but their son Benjamin was born in the UK and she worries that Benjamin will never fully feel Brazilian.