Cody Critcheloe is an American director, photographer, visual artist, and musician, known for his provocative and visually daring work across music videos and photography.[1] Initially gaining recognition through his music/visual project SSION (pronounced shun), Critcheloe has since embraced a singular creative artistry, known for crafting surreal, high concept-driven worlds distinguished by bold, cinematic storytelling, super saturated art direction, and a subversive sense of humor.[2] His visual language—often maximalist, deeply referential, and playfully confrontational—draws inspiration from punk graphics, queericonography, '90s advertising, and experimental art house cinema.
Critcheloe was born and raised in Kentucky.[3] He studied painting at the Kansas City Art Institute, where his early interest in stop-motion animation sparked a broader passion for filmmaking. This tactile, frame-by-frame approach to storytelling would go on to inform his later video work.
While still in art school, Critcheloe created the album artwork for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Fever to Tell and directed early music videos for Liars and Peaches, as well as a series of animated videos for his own project, SSION. During this time, he also mentored fellow student BloodPop, introducing him to pop songwriting and music production.[4]
SSION and Early Work
Critcheloe first gained widespread attention through SSION, a genre-defying musical project. It blended pop hooks and punk attitude, plus some immersive visual storytelling. SSION served as a testing ground for Critcheloe's creative evolution, with each release accompanied by self-directed visuals that pushed the boundaries of music video as a medium. The project's aesthetic—queer, campy, dystopian, and often DIY—cemented Critcheloe's reputation as an innovator in both underground music and visual culture.
SSION's influence remains foundational to the development of queer pop aesthetics in the 2010s and beyond.
Career as Director and Photographer
Critcheloe is celebrated for his hyper-stylized, concept-driven work with artists such as Robyn, Yves Tumour, J-Hope, Katseye, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Perfume Genius, and Kim Petras, as well as fashion powerhouses like Diesel, Versace, and Hood By Air. Whether constructing immersive, world-building narratives or capturing complex identities in a single arresting frame, Critcheloe's output pushes traditional boundaries—provoking, delighting, and redefining the visual language of contemporary culture.
Selected Video Works – Director and Photographer
2005 – Liars, "There's Always Room on the Broom", music video director
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