MEETING STRANGERS by Justin-Julius Santos

Justin has a certain magic in his personality that brings hidden things out of people that they didn’t even know were there. He has an uncanny ability to see people for what they are and what they could be, inside and out… When these strangers come to be photographed, Justin is able to capture the hidden things he perceived in initial meeting, the things that other people don’t see. That is just a part of his magic.

—Chyi Soo

Justin Julius Santos’ Meeting Strangers is a joy to behold. In a semi-documentary, diary style he mixes up color photos, Polaroids and black-and-white shots and in doing so delivers new surprises on every page. At no time do these images seem staged. The authenticity of Santos’ photography is reminiscent of the work of Nan Goldin, yet at the same time are recognizable due to their unmistakable style.

His photographs were crafted in short sessions with the models that he met on the street. Only taken within the confines of private residences, the artist forgets the outside world, focusing solely on the inner life of his models. Within a few hours he’d developed photographs of enormous intensity, sexual tension and playful, youthful posing. A true insider’s tip!

Justin Julius Santos lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. The autodidact has worked in both the USA and in Europe over the past fifteen years. According to him, it is the “sensuality of youth” that make his photographs so fascinating and that characterize his creative work. Santos is definitely one of the most interesting new discoveries of the past year!