The interior and exterior worlds of Kaio Cesar: The Brazilian photographer, based in Los Angeles, talks about a photoshoot with Allie X, creating self-portraits, image editing, and artificial intelligence.
Text and interview by Pedro Paulo Furlan.
Kaio Cesar in self-portrait.
2 PM, São Paulo / 10 AM, Los Angeles. Appearing in front of a beach-themed backdrop, photographer Kaio Cesar joins the call for this interview wearing a black cap with "Feminine Energy" emblazoned in bold white letters, a merch item from Cobrah, the Swedish singer who once starred in one of his photoshoots—dressed as Shrek.
When asked about the creative process behind this, one of his most unusual shoots, Kaio explains that he wanted to create "something fresher that I, as a consumer of content, would like to see." By blending various references with his personal universe, the photographer and visual artist has developed a unique vision that has captivated stars from "RuPaul’s Drag Race," like Adore Delano, as well as underground music artists such as Dorian Electra and Allie X.
"I like it when a photo has a lot to digest, even if it’s simpler."
Born in Brazil, Kaio Cesar grew up passionate about pop culture, even though this sometimes posed a challenge due to his upbringing in the evangelical church. “I saw it and, even being in the church, I loved it. It was that contradictory feeling of 'I shouldn't watch this, but I adore it,'” he says about his greatest obsession, Lady Gaga.
Crediting his photographic style to his love for pop music culture, Cesar recalls that the first time he felt connected to visuals was while watching music videos. “This heavily influences what I want to work on. My style, everything I do, is based on what I saw when I was younger,” he explains.
Images created by Kaio using The Sims.
When he was younger and already passionate about visuals, the photographer would set up his own scenes and take photos within the game The Sims, creating works he couldn't achieve in real life. "I never labeled this as being a photographer, so much so that I never realized that was the skill of a photographer until I became one," he explains.
Images created by Kaio using The Sims.
Kaio moved to the United States long before photography became his dream, or as he describes it, "I never had a dream of photographing, that's the truth." After years of working various jobs, his boyfriend suggested he shoud try photographing other people — until then, he had only photographed himself for his Instagram. "I liked having very well-edited photos, that whole queer feed thing, you know?" The next step was to get a camera.
While working as a delivery driver in 2020, Kaio delivered "much more than usual" in one week, managing to save enough to buy his first camera. Laughing, Cesar recalls that on the night his boyfriend suggested he should start photographing, they did their first photoshoot with a black sheet on the wall and themselves as models.
"The dream started small, like a snowball, and now it's something I really aspire to do."
After shooting with some of his friends, Kaio became ambitious: he started sending emails to various drag queens from "RuPaul's Drag Race," and among the first contacts, he managed to schedule a shoot with Adore Delano, a star from the sixth season of the show. To capture the cover of her EP "Dirty Laundry," Adore paid for his flight from Boston, where he lived, to Los Angeles, where he began making new connections.
Regarding his early shoots, Kaio states that it was a group effort between him and his models: "I wanted to do something that worked because I needed to boost myself." During the same trip, he managed to get in touch with the winner of the 13th season, Symone, and from there, it just kept growing, taking photos of Kandy Muse, Nicky Doll, and other stars from the show when he returned to Boston.
For Cesar, starting his career with stars from the drag scene was very important to him as an LGBTQ+ person. Speaking about the "brainwashing" he underwent within the evangelical church, the artist states that being queer "was something I denied to death," so amplifying the voices of other people in the community "is doing justice."
"I find it so important to have this representation in my work because it's my life."
Empress Of photographed by Kaio Cesar.
"MULTIPLE FACETS OF WHO I AM"
Just under a month before our conversation, Kaio Cesar unveiled the images he created for Canadian singer Allie X's photoshoot. In his photos, the aesthetic chosen by the artist for her album "Girl With No Face," with its red backdrop and darker visuals, merges with Kaio's style, bringing her into his world.
"I wanted to incorporate specific elements of what she was already doing," he says about the process of creating the shoot, adding, "In a way that made sense to me."
Capturing various icons of the underground and queer scene, in addition to Allie X, Kaio has learned to draw artists into the universe where he and his photography reside - whether through poses, lighting, or editing style. In the meantime, as he began shooting for magazines as well, he learned to align his aesthetic with other creative powerhouses, creating striking visuals.
However, the favorite part of his work is creating his self-portraits, Kaio reveals, pointing out that these pieces came from "wanting to create without the interference of others." In his main series, "Tales of Swords and Shadows," the artist is building a complete universe populated by all "the facets of who I am," and a few other characters.
Collecting references ranging from "The Chronicles of Narnia," "because as I was religious, we couldn't watch Harry Potter," to the medieval boots from Balenciaga's Fall 2021 collection, Kaio has constructed a series filled with references to the Middle Ages, diverse settings, and edits, as well as a story behind each character.
Allie X photographed by Kaio Cesar.
"The first one I did looked happier, like a hero, a king, a prince, he's stepping on a sword," says Cesar, referring to the characters in "Tales of Swords and Shadows," continuing: "So I made his twin, but evil, and then I started creating the images that are more blue, more gray."
A highlight of the artist's work is his eye for fashion, selecting outfits that perfectly complement the world he is placing his model in. For this fashion vision - and its integration into his photographic style, Kaio Cesar also credits his passion for pop, highlighting Lady Gaga's early career.
"The way she dressed was very artistic, she didn't just wear the clothes, she was the clothes," he says, pointing to the artist's most extravagant visuals and how she seemed to embody new personas with each look. Asserting that he brings this perspective to his photography studio, Kaio states, "I really like to have that in my photos too, I like the models to be the clothes."
"That's why I love this series I do, because the outfit is very much the way the story is told."
Kaio Cesar in self-portrait.
As a photographer of artists and fashion alike, Kaio points out that the personal visions of other photographers were fundamental in building his own style. "I picked up small things, small elements, small details, and combined them with ideas I had myself," he notes, listing some of his references.
Highlighting the work of Fernando Tomaz, known for his shots for Vogue, as well as his work with singer Marina Sena, Cesar says his biggest inspirations are other Brazilians. Drawing from various influences, the artist - even while living in the United States - brings his own version of Brazilian identity into his photos.
FROM TECHNIQUE TO TECHNOLOGY
Throughout his 4-year career, Kaio has evolved his style, learned new techniques, expanded his photography knowledge, and remains open to all the changes that come with it: "I imagine that, over time, as I have more and more elements to create with, I will have another aesthetic that will be completely different, based on what I can bring to those shoots."
However, at the current moment, the artist has found an authorial vision for his photos, which, in turn, includes the way he lights the photo, positions the model, and, adding it all up, edits the final result.
When asked about his favorite part of the creative process, Kaio Cesar is quick to respond: "It's post-production, to the point that, usually when I'm bored, I edit photos." Using this tool to "turn these photos into art," the photographer asserts that his true passion is "going home and making the photos make sense to me, through editing."
I could do it in the studio, but my pleasure is doing it in editing because it's like a blank canvas.
Most of the time, using a white backdrop and the same setup for his camera and lighting, Kaio quickly takes the photos - for him, the magic happens afterward. "A photo with a white backdrop where the person is well lit, to me, that's a blank canvas for me to create things on top of," he explains.
In this process, the photographer changes the backdrop, plays with shadows, coloration ("the most important part"), and texture, pulling the model into the world where his art resides. In fact, Kaio reveals that he used to be afraid of what other photographers would think of his photos: "I felt they would judge me for modifying the photo so much, and then I might not be seen as a photographer but more as an editor."
Even with his preference for editing, the Brazilian is always seeking to learn more about photography, researching extensively, for example, about lighting, which he considers his favorite part of the manual process. In a constant journey of improvement, Kaio Cesar remains open to enhancing his art.
At the time of the interview, one of the tools he opened up to learning to use was artificial intelligence, trying to understand how this controversial feature can be a part of his photographic world.
"Whether we like it or not, it's inevitably the future, and we have to learn how to deal with it," he remarks about AI.
In his medieval-themed series, "Tales of Swords and Shadows," the photographer explains how he uses artificial intelligence to complement the world he's creating. For Kaio, AI isn't a significant part of his work; instead, he employs the tool to develop details in his images - for example, in his self-portraits, he has used it to create shoes or clothing details.
For Kaio Cesar, the medieval aesthetic was something he "wanted to use in my photos, but I didn't have access to it," so he decided to develop it with artificial intelligence. However, he points out, it's a complicated process because "sometimes AI doesn't understand," so he blends this tool with image editing to create his universe.
"We have to work around it," he says, but he makes it clear that the tool still exists in a "very gray area," noting how artificial intelligence draws inspiration from the internet, even without the artists' permission. For Kaio, that's when the feature becomes frightening for artists.
"What I think is lacking for artificial intelligence to become interesting for us artists is for AI to start being trained by people who want to help train it, instead of simply these billion-dollar companies grabbing various images from the internet," the photographer states.
"This [AI] amplifies many voices, many people who have a lot on their minds, a lot of creativity, but don't have the resources," he says.