César Balcázar

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César Balcázar, born in Colombia, is a portrait photographer who has built his career in countries such as the United States, England, Spain, Serbia, Russia, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Colombia to name a few. His lens has captured many artists such as Adrien Brody, John Travolta, Marina Abramović, and Daniel Radcliffe.

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Goodbye my lover, a personal letter with Adrien Brody shot during pandemic.

The story of Balcázar is a story of love, grounded in making meaningful deep connections with those around him. Leaving a mark not just in the world, but on those lucky enough to get to know him and become part of his memory.

César always knew there was something different in him, he felt odd, an outsider. Through the study of art, he discovered he has an extraordinary talent, a way to express himself in a way words never could. To lay it all out for the world to see.

His photography focuses on creating iconic images that portray the movement, emotions, and chaos of a social context and its relationship with his subjects. In his creative process, he incorporates detailed techniques drawn from theatre and talent direction, creating an intimate atmosphere of exploration with the person that is being photographed, and co-creating a specific story, generally, becoming part of César’s subjective experience, which ends up being self-portraits of his emotional states.

His work has been marked by the need to communicate with the world he observes with a very particular sensibility. His personal experiences are put in context, connecting with the subject to create a story that transmits a unique personality in his images. Each portrait is the product of an attempt to externalize an emotion.

After almost 15 years as a portrait photographer for major magazines such as Vogue, Esquire, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, and many others, his artistic work has transformed as his vision of reality expands with each experience. His interest in communicating a message with social impact transcends the world of editorial photography to which he has belonged, and moves to the creation of artistic images with a direct message that responds to a given social situation.

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The perfect traveler, John Travolta for Esquire.

After having lived in New York for several years, Cesar returns to Colombia with the idea of reconnecting with his roots, through a deep look at a country built in chaos and violence, to create images that can speak of a social reality that is raw but at the same time vibrant. The evolution of his gaze has been influenced by his heritage and his intimate connection with Colombia, which he tries to portray from a universe that shows how art can be salvation in the middle of a crisis.