Sisterhood shortlisted for the International Photo Exhibition by the Royal Photographic Society

Very happy to be shortlisted for the International Photography Exhibition by the Royal Photographic Society with a portrait from my series Sisterhood.

Set in France, Sisterhood responds to the 2022 hijab ban in basketball and the wider exclusion of visibly Muslim women from sport. Against a backdrop of rising Islamophobia and far-right politics, Sisterhood documents the resilience of those affected and the activism of collectives like Basket Pour Toutes. Through portraits and advocacy, the series challenges policies that silence and marginalize under the guise of secularism, affirming that the right to play - and to choose how to exist - is fundamental to gender justice.



‘The exhibition selection process for the International Photography Exhibition 167 is underway and our guest panel have shortlisted anonymously 318 photographers from 41 countries. Congratulations to everyone who has made the list. These photographers are submitting prints ready for the exhibition print selection in September. Join us as we celebrate the photographers below who have been shortlisted from over 10,000 entries and wish them luck for the final selection.’

You can see the full shortlist by clicking on this link

Touring exhibition of Pride Photo Award in the Netherlands, now on view in Amsterdam

LOVE HARDER is currently on view in the collective touring exhibition of Pride Photo Awards, a travelling exhibition of the winning works around the Netherlands.

This year’s exhibition, curated by artist and storyteller Mohamad Abdouni, celebrates a diverse group of artists whose work challenges, moves, and inspires.

The 2025 jury—Mohamad Abdouni, Maurits de Bruijn, Lee-Ann Olwage, J.G. Basdew, and Dilys Ng—each brings a distinct artistic vision, cultural background, and place within the queer community. Their combined perspectives shaped a selection that reflects the depth, nuance, and global richness of queer stories today.

View from my long term project Love Harder, on queerness and religion in the conservative context of various mediterranean countries

Kerem and Mecnun, Istanbul, Türkiye, 2023, on view in Amsterdam


11 August – 12 September 2025

De Hallen – Amsterdam-West

Tollensstraat 57-45, 1053 RS Amsterdam

LEGACIES OF IDENTITY: Queer Histories of Third Genders, exhibition at Melkweg Expo

It’s been so special to get to see part of my long term project Love Harder exhibited at Melkweg Expo in Amsterdam as part of the exhibition ‘Legacies of Identities, Queer histories of Third Genders’, in partnership with Pride Photo Awards.



A huge thanks to Samira Damato for their great curation and ongoing precious support, and for presenting the works in the best possible way.
 Special thanks also to Zindzi Zwietering and Fleurie Kloostra for making this possible.



The exhibition runs until the 24th of August with amazing works from the archive of Pride Photo Award by a variety of photographers, hailing from Bangladesh to Indonesia and the United States. 



Feeling so grateful that this work can be shown, especially for the people who are portrayed and have given me their time and trust, and shared bits of their stories with me. It’s always so blurry while doing a long term project, that maybe it might never be seen, so when it happens it’s a celebration.

From 18 Jul — Su 24 Aug, Legacy of Identity : Queer Histories of Third Genders is exhibited at Melkweg Expo in the center of Amsterdam. Free entry via Marnixstraat 409.

The exhibition was curated by Samira Damato

Views of Love Harder at the Melkweg Expo exhibition

With friend and curator Samira Damato at the opening

Honorable Mention at the Lucie Foundation Scholarship 2024

It’s been an incredible surprise to see that my long term project Love Harder got an honorable mention at the Lucie Foundation Scholarship program 2024 in the fine art professional category.
Huge congratulations to the winner Marisol Mendez for her amazing work Padre, well deserved !

A big thank you to Sarah Leen for her ongoing guidance and mentorship on this body of work, I'm very grateful for your support.

It's also a great reminder to keep pushing on when things are not working and stagnant, somehow down the road it might open up.

Work shortlisted for the Australian Photo Award this year (APA, Melbourne/Naarm)

Excited to have two photographs shortlisted for the Australian Photo Award this year among an amazing array of work from Australian photographers. Congratulations to all the shortlisted.

These 300 pictures represent much of the deep, diverse and visionary storytelling that defines contemporary Australian photography and we couldn’t be more excited to see them all together. Congratulations to all those shortlisted and thank you to all participants.

Each of these images will be projected throughout Bodriggy Brewpub as part of the APA Event taking place on October 26th and 27th with artist talks and events for this weekend to be released soon. Stay tuned for the announcement of the finalists whose work will be displayed over the weekend in print.

For more informations and to see all the shortlisted participants, head to https://photocollective.com.au/apa-2024-shortlist/

Interview for Global Health 5050

Many moons back I got interviewed by Imogen Bakelmun on my work around gender, representation and mental health.

This is an extract:

‘When it comes to self-expression there is always a performative aspect. Everyone has a sense of their self, a way that they want to be perceived, so getting a genuine image is hard. When I was taking Liam’s image, I kept thinking how even our private spaces, somewhere as personal as a childhood bedroom, are always connected to other people. In the space of our fathers and mothers, how much can we be ourselves? How much of others do we hold within ourselves?.’ Su Cassiano

Su themselves was initially reluctant to engage with projects that focused on men and masculinities. ‘For a long time, I didn’t photograph any cis-men, they are the default- I wanted to represent people that were less visible, less represented. For years, I’ve been working on gender identity and I was never really interested in men, why would I give them visibility? They are the ones who make the gaze, they are the ones always represented, they are the ones shaping the world -our imperialist, patriarchal, heteronormative world,’ Su explains.  

‘But recently I read Bell Hook’s The Will to Change and Pierre Bourdieu’s Masculine Domination, and it’s clear that you can’t have a conversation about gender without also having a conversation about men because they are part of the problem or the cause of the problem, and certainly are affected by the patriarchy too.’

‘Men are not encouraged to be vulnerable, it’s something that is gendered from a very young age. Boys don’t cry. Masculinity, like femininity, is constructed and conditioned. One of the only emotions that are valued for men is anger, but it’s a cover. Men can’t grieve. It’s very harmful, and it’s harmful to the entire society. As I recently read somewhere, anger is grief that has nowhere to go. So for men, the only socially acceptable emotion is anger. Now that I have moved to a Mediterranean, Middle Eastern culture, I can perceive this even more.’

You can see the full interview here : https://globalhealth5050.org/its-so-powerful-to-be-seen-su-cassiano/

CCP Fundraising 1 -31 October

Happy to be a part of the fundraising for the Contemporary Center for Photography in Melbourne, Australia. This year it’s an online print sale, where you can buy 8x10 inch art prints from more than 70 Australian and international artists.

It’s running on their website until the 31st October, don’t miss out!

Representing Pride exhibition at Euro Pride in Valetta, Malta

It’s been such a transforming experience to be a part of the Representing Pride workshop organised by Holma. The workshop allowed a small group of artists from the mediterranean bassin to develop a unique project for 6 months online, with a 5 intensive days in person in Malta. We were guided by the incredibly inspiring mentors Tanya Habjouqa and Samira Damato. The workshop culminated in an exhibition for the Euro Pride in Valetta, Malta, with some outdoor installations as well as indoor space in Spajzu Kreattiv.

View of the outdoor installation for Euro Pride exhibition in Valetta, Malta, 7 September -8 October 2023

View of the indoor installation at Spazju Kreattiv, Valetta, Malta, 7 September- 8 October 2023

Assignement for Libération

Very proud to have been comissioned this story with journalist Anne-Sophie Faivre Le Cadre about Russian exiled in the sea side town of Antalya, Turkey. Their exode in masses has been driving up the cost of houses, making it unaffordable for Turkish people who already suffer from ongoing inflation. Since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, Turkey hasn’t taken any sanctions and welcome Russians who consider themselves at home now.

In an Orthodox church of Antalya, Russians and Ukrainian pray together for the end of the war.

Interview for Australian Journal of Photography

I recently got interviewed about my work by Sam Edmond. Thank you for asking interesting questions and for including me in the AJP. Have a read of the interview here :

https://www.australianphotographersjournal.com.au/uv-su-cassiano/

CCP Salon Winner Best Documentary Image 2022

So happy to write that my image Fake Fur and Real Scars won the Canon & Camera House Croydon Best Documentary Image at CCP Salon 2022 in Naarm, Melbourne.

Congratulations to all the winners!

https://ccp.org.au/exhibitions/all/ilford-ccp-salon-2021

You can check the Salon in Fitzroy until 6th February or see the winning images on the link.

Posing with my friend Liam in front of his portrait

Australia Photography Awards

So happy to share I got the second prize at the Australian Photography Awards 2021!

Thanks to Photo Collective and the judges

https://www.australianphotographyawards.com.au/galleries/2021-galleries/portrait/

Exhibiting at the Royal Photographic Society

Really happy to be part of the 43 photographers selected worldwide to exhibit in Bristol, England, as part of The Royal Photographic Society’s International Photography Exhibition 162. I will be showing 3 photographs extracted from my on going project A Brighter Summer Day, that portrays the diversity of the LGBTQIA+ community in Taiwan in the period leading to the legalization of same sex marriage in 2019 and its aftermath.
The exhibition will be running from the 15th February until the 22nd of March.

The polymorph artist Rébecca Chaillon in her appartement in the suburb of Paris, 2018

The polymorph artist Rébecca Chaillon in her appartement in the suburb of Paris, 2018