JJ Levine

JJ Levine creates intimate portraits of friends and family, rendering in rich detail genders, sexual identities, and human relationships. His work is recognized for its technical rigor and its ability to balance tenderness, provocation, and humor. Levine challenges boundaries of identity while, through his images, engaging with inclusion and depiction of underrepresented subjects. Recent notable exhibitions include Real Families: Stories of Change (Fitzwilliam Museum, UK), Queer Photographs (McCord Stewart Museum, solo), and the touring exhibitions CANADA NOW (The Image Centre/AGO) and Love Me Gender (Musée de la Civilisation, Quebec).

Levine lives and works in Tiohti:áke/Montreal.

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AVAILABLE WORKS

APPROACH

Through intimate portraiture, I explore identity, gender, and the complexities of human relationships. My three major series — Queer Portraits, Alone Time, and Switch — challenge mainstream narratives and celebrate LGBTQ+ individuals and chosen families. With meticulous attention to detail, and a ba Through intimate portraiture, I explore identity, gender, and the complexities of human relationships. My three major series — Queer Portraits, Alone Time, and Switch — challenge mainstream narratives and celebrate LGBTQ+ individuals and chosen families. With meticulous attention to detail, and a balance of passion and playfulness, my work engages deeply with themes of representation and inclusivity, while remaining both personal and politically urgent. Each portrait I create is carefully staged in a thoughtfully curated domestic space. I work closely with my subjects, collaborating to design each scene and selecting every element with intention. For me, photography is an act of empowerment — a way for my models to assert their identities in deeply personal ways. By using home interiors as backdrops, I emphasize the importance of private spaces in shaping who we are. Together, these portraits form a living archive of LGBTQ+ representation, affirming and celebrating queer lives. At the heart of my work is the relationship between subject and viewer. Whether I’m photographing lovers, friends, family members, or myself, I aim to capture a sense of warmth, tenderness, and connection. I often use soft studio lighting and rich color palettes to evoke a feeling of memory and comfort. In contrast to the fast pace of digital photography, I shoot with medium- and large-format film. This slower, more deliberate process allows me to create images with greater depth and texture — ones that invite viewers to look longer and feel more. See more