Jocelyn Janon is a photographer and creative researcher based in Aotearoa/New Zealand. His work blends visual storytelling, archival inquiry, and speculative methodologies to explore how images shape memory, identity, and collective imagination.

Black and white portrait of a man with a shaved head, intense gaze, and serious expression, wearing a dark shirt.

About me

Photo: Paul Alsop.

Photography as Human Connection

Photography is my way of connecting with people and expressing a deep appreciation for humanity. I thrive on collaborating with artists, misfits, and those who challenge convention, fostering creativity through shared inquiry and dialogue.

Speculative Constraint‑Based Practice

My practice is shaped by the Speculative Constraint-Based Design Method, which merges structured limitations, speculative narratives, and iterative research to unlock new creative possibilities. Voluntary artistic constraints serve as generative frameworks that push boundaries rather than restrict them, drawing from OULIPO-inspired methodologies and structured experimentation to shape the evolution of my work.

Cyclical, Research‑Driven Methodology

My methodology follows a cyclical, process-driven approach, where experimentation, reflection, and refinement continuously reshape each project. Archival research, particularly vernacular photography, plays a vital role—not as passive documentation but as an evolving material for reinterpretation. By reframing historical and familial artefacts, I explore new layers of memory, identity, and cultural resonance.

Archival Reinterpretation and Vernacular Inquiry

I work with archives as sites of speculation. Found images, personal collections, and vernacular photographs become catalysts for reimagining narratives, questioning authorship, and examining how visual histories are constructed. This research-driven approach allows me to navigate the tension between fact and imagination.

Collective Authorship and Ethical Collaboration

Collaboration and interdependence are central to my practice. Rather than imposing a singular perspective, I cultivate collective authorship, ensuring that subjects, contributors, and audiences actively shape the work through participation and dialogue. This ethical engagement fosters non-hierarchical creation, reinforcing representation as an interactive, evolving process.

Collective Authorship and Ethical Collaboration

Through speculative visual storytelling, iterative photographic sequences, and process-driven exhibitions, my work foregrounds research and adaptation over static conclusions. By blending structured constraints with speculative play, I challenge conventional notions of authorship, truth, and artistic agency, creating a dynamic framework for inquiry-driven creativity.

As a Tauiwi immigrant artist and researcher, I am particularly committed to exploring the history, changes, and evolution of New Zealand society.

Based in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, Aotearoa/New Zealand, I use he/him pronouns.

I welcome collaborations, commissions, research partnerships, and conversations.
If you’d like to work together or discuss a project, feel free to get in touch.


Contact me

Awards

New Zealand photographer of the year.

2022| Runner-up society and culture.
2011| Runner-up society and culture.
2012| Runner-up society and culture. Highly commended.

London International Creative Competition.

2021| Official selection for ‘Tinaku’.

PX3 Prix de la photograhie in Paris.

2022| Winner (bronze) for ‘Tinaku’.
2021| Honorable mention for ‘Monuments’.

Head On Photo Awards - Australia.

2022| Semi-finalist in the 2022 Head On Portrait Awards.
Exhibited at the Head On Photo Festival, Sydney, Australia

Monovisions Black & White photography.

2022| HM for my portraits of Elin-Heni.
2021| HM for ‘Patriarchy’.
2020| HM for ‘Monuments’.

Tokyo International Foto Awards.

2022| HM Fine Art - Still Life for ‘Tinaku’.
2020| HM Editorial-Photo Essay for ‘Rear window’.

Lens Culture.

2016| lens culture. street photography awards 2016, top 100 for ‘Rear window’.

Mono Awards.

2022| Placed Top 100 in the People category.

Exhibitions

2023| Auckland festival of photography - resistance [ātete].
Tinaku
Outdoor exhibition.
Freyberg Square, Freyberg Place,
Tamaki Makaurau/Auckland, New Zealand.

2023| the point of incidence.
Collaborative work.
With Amber Liberté.
and Terrease McComb, Liv Hobman.
.theend gallery, Tamaki Makaurau/Auckland, New Zealand.

2022| Head On Award Festival.
Sydney, Australia.

2021| God-House.
Visual collaboration with artist Jahra Wasasala.
Artweek 2021. Light on Te Komititanga.
Te Komititanga, Tamaki Makaurau/Auckland, New Zealand.

2020| Monuments.
Tempo dance festival.
Auckland, New Zealand.

2016| Alter Ego.
New Zealand House, High Commission of New Zealand.
London, UK.

2015| Alter Ego, I is another.
Digital darkroom. Auckland, New Zealand.

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Select clients.

Best Cafe Dunedin, Panasonic New Zealand, Foster Group, New Zealand Geographic, Smith sports shoes, Auckland Arts & Culture, Project Muse, Auckland Arts Festival, Unitec Institute of Technology, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Q Theatre, Tempo Dance Festival, Auckland Arts Festival, Unitec, Media Design School, City Cake Company, Vavavoom Productions, Sophiensaele, Dancebase, URB, Amnesty International, Mt Eden Business Association, Fisheye, Frame, Photograph Chronicle, Stuff, Woman magazine, DANZ, Design Assembly, Center for Ballet and the Arts - New York, Experimental Dance Week, Toi, etc.

A flyer for an art exhibition featuring a sweet potato with green leaves growing from it, displaying Jocelyn Janon, Resistance - Tinaku, at the Auckland Festival of Photography, from May 24 to June 14, 2023, at Freyberg Place.
Open magazine displaying an article titled 'Voice of the City' with a black background and white text, featuring a silhouette of a person on the left page and text on the right page.
A promotional poster for a cabaret show titled 'Truth & Lies,' directed by Emma Herbert Vickers. The poster features a woman with gold body paint and black cracks on her skin, partially covering her face with her hand, against a black background. The
A person mid-air performing parkour, seen through a circular opening in a stone structure with a partly cloudy sky in the background.
Black and white photo of a man with gray hair and tattoos on his arm, gesturing with his hand inside a modern building.
Magazine spread featuring dancers performing on stage in various poses, with dramatic lighting and dark backgrounds, accompanying an article about a dance performance titled "Orchids."
Black and white photo of a man and a woman dancing closely, with the woman leaning back and the man holding her. The woman has loose curly hair and appears to be lost in the dance while the man is focused on her.
A man sitting on a wooden chair in a dark room with dim lighting, wearing a patterned shirt and sneakers, with a textured gray carpet underneath.
Cover of Tanz magazine featuring a woman with dark hair, jewelry, and tattoos, posing with her hand near her face and looking upward, set against a plain background.
Two women smiling outdoors at a pride event, one wearing a yellow top and the other in a green and white patterned dress, with a crowd and trees in the background.
A person skateboarding on the edge of a building with a statue of a figure doing a handstand on a tall column against a bright blue sky.
A woman with long hair wearing a patterned shirt, looking to the side, with hand raised and bent at the elbow, in front of a plain wall with a vertical and horizontal stripe pattern.
An open magazine showing two photographs. The top photo depicts a woman sitting in a vintage car, viewed through the windshield. The bottom photo shows a small dog lying on the dashboard of the car. The text on the right page discusses a series calle
A small dog with a blue bandana on a red kayak on a river or lake, with a reflection of the sky on the water. The text "Les coups de cœur #268" overlays the image, and the website logo "fsheye" is in the top left corner.
A woman with dark hair styled in a messy bun, wearing multiple bracelets and a necklace, is posing with her hand near her face against a plain, dark background.
Photographer Jocelyn Janon webpage with a portrait and biography, showcasing projects including 'Monuments' and 'Rear Window'.
Black and white photograph of a woman with long hair spread out around her head, looking to the side with a focused expression. Text overlay provides event details for the 2017 Tempo Dance Festival, featuring Sarah Foster Sproull of the Foster Group,
A woman with long dark hair wearing a black dress, standing against a dark background, with the words 'OCHIDS' arranged vertically in white across the image.
A woman with red hair holding a decorative gold and floral headpiece with chains over her face, wearing a satin robe, against a dark background.
A dancer with dark hair and makeup poses in a dimly lit setting, with a quote about a world with wounds on the right side of the image. The image promotes the 2017 Tempo Dance Festival featuring Jahra Rager Wasala.
Poster for a Pacific Tongues workshop titled 'Jahra Rager' for advanced youth poets, featuring a close-up of a tattooed person with a contemplative expression. Date: 03/25/17, time: 10AM-11:30AM, location: UH Mānoa, Hawaiian UIA Ekā. Includes text in
Group of people at a social event, with one man smiling and talking to others around a table that has glasses and napkins, indoors with black ceiling and exposed pipes.
Three young individuals lying on a black background with concert details for Unitec Dance Showcase 2018. The person on the left is a girl with long brown hair, wearing a green top and ripped jeans, smiling and stretching her leg. The person in the mi
Website homepage of L'Œil de la Photographie featuring a black car's rear view mirror reflecting tattooed women wearing pink polka dot clothing showing the name Jocelyn Janon.
A digital flyer for the Auckland Festival of Photography 2023, running from May 31 to June 11, featuring images of a plant sprout, two women walking at a park, and event details.
Three women in a dance studio, practicing choreography, with one woman helping another with her movements, all wearing dance attire.
Poster for a theater production titled "Lost Girls" displaying three young women in grayscale, one holding a teddy bear, with event details and a simple map.
A promotional poster for Tempo Dance Festival NZ featuring a dancer with dark makeup and hairstyle, in a dramatic pose against a black background. Text on the poster reads 'THREE DAYS TO GO.'
Poster advertising the 2017 Tempo Dance Festival, featuring a dancer in a black outfit performing a dance pose, held from October 4-15 at Q Theatre in Auckland, New Zealand.
A woman with shoulder-length hair, sitting on the floor in a dark setting, holding miniature model buildings in her hand and surrounded by similar models, with some fallen on the floor.
Promotional poster for 'The Witch Dance Project', featuring a profile of a woman with tattoos and jewelry, standing against a dark background with bold purple text.
A woman with dark hair wearing a black headwrap and black dress, standing against a dark background and smiling.
A person with dark hair wearing a beige shawl and layered necklaces performs a dance move against a black background.
A woman with dark hair wearing a beige hoodie, looking down with a serious expression against a dark background with text about the Garde-Va series.
Three students in casual clothing lying on a black background, with the central woman with long hair and striped shirt making a gesture with her hands, and the other two students on either side, one with curly hair and the other with short hair, maki
A woman lying on a stage floor with body paint and costume that resemble a peacock, with an elaborate feathered headdress, in a dark setting.
A wedding cake decorated with white roses on a white cloth, displayed on a page of a magazine.
Open magazine featuring a photo of a person with tattoos reaching their arm through a rear car window, holding a can, with a pink crochet bag hanging from their arm. Large white text overlays the image, stating "REAR WINDOW", and credits for text and
Event webpage promoting 'Carve-Va: Cypher Series' dance performance on June 18 at 6:30 PM, with ticket booking button, featuring a woman in traditional attire against a dark background.
Event poster with a dark photo of a person wrapped in textured fabric, posed in an artistic, contorted position, against a black background. The poster provides event details, including date, time, venue, ticket information, and highlights the event'
The image features a promotional poster for the Jocelyn Janon Open Call Awards, with bold black text on a white background at the top, and a dark, artistic photograph of a topless person's body bent in an abstract pose against a black background at t
Black and white photograph of a sculptural form resembling a clenched fist, placed on a textured surface with a dark background.
Black and white photo of Eden Mulholland with styled hair, wearing a patterned shirt, in a dark background
A woman with wet hair, dark lipstick, and dramatic makeup, holding a yellow circle over her eye, covering part of her face, with painted black fingers on her face and body, against a black background.
Open magazine pages featuring a woman with blue eyes and dark hair, touching her lip with her finger, with bold text and editorial information.
A woman with dark hair, tattoos, and a nose ring holding her hands near her face, looking directly at the camera, on a black background with text overlay about contemporary dance in New Zealand and social media icons.
Black and white photograph of a woman with her head tilted back, her eyes closed, and her fingers touching her forehead. She is wearing a dark jacket and appears to be in an emotional or expressive moment.
A person wearing a white dress with pink floral pattern seen through the window of a vintage car, with their hand on their chest.
Open magazine laying on a wooden surface, featuring a photographic image of a woman dressed in golden satin attire with jewelry, lying down with her hand near her face, holding a fan artifact, with a perfume bottle nearby. The magazine page contains
A group of women lifting a woman in a pink-orange dress in a dance pose against a dark background.
Poster of Sarah Houbolt featuring her face with glasses, background with colorful paint splashes, and various texts describing her background and activities.
A photo collage of vintage cars and women, showing the interior of the cars and women and tattoos, with a blog post and social media icons in the background.
Details of a sculpture of a man's face with a golden laurel crown, part of an art exhibition poster for Studio One Toi Tū, May to July 2019, organized by Waitematā Local Board.
Gallery image of a young girl sitting cross-legged on the floor surrounded by four adults with their hands raised above her head, creating a circular formation. The setting is dark with a spotlight on the girl and the adults. Caption reads "Orchids"
A woman dressed in beige clothing striking a pose with one arm raised and the other covering part of her face, against a black background.
Black and white cover photo featuring a person with disheveled hair against a cloudy sky, with text 'Italian Rigodons' and 'Photography by Jocelen Janon'.