CJ Viñalon a Dancer turned Photographer and Filmmaker based in Tilburg and working everywhere.
My name is Christopher James Viñalon, better known as CJ. I was born in Mandaluyong City, Philippines, (1994). I moved to Ireland at age 14. I took on the Irish nationality, and lived in Dublin for nine years until I felt the need to step out of my comfort zone again. So, I packed my bags and moved to the Netherlands in 2017.
My artistic journey started as a dancer, I battled, performed, and taught on different events nationally and internationally. For years, dance was my main focus until I founded my own clothing brand RaisedTribe in 2018. I designed, collaborated with different manufacturers, had my share of trial and error and self-studied day in, day out. Inevitably, promotion and photography became a big part of my workload. Over time, I became more interested in this aspect and so my focus gradually shifted to photography and videography. Then, during one of my visits back in Ireland. I found my old treasured camera that my aunt once handed down to me back in the Philippines and decided to fully immerse myself into photography and videography.
Now I can say that I am a self-taught photographer and filmmaker. I’ve had the pleasure of working with many upcoming artists, theatres and events. I became the official city photographer of Tilburg as well as taking on the roll of DoP for an international dance intensive in France, and created my first documentary out of that also.
To me, photography blurs the lines between art and simple everyday life. I get to capture moments of cheerfulness, sorrow, serenity, all in a matter of seconds. I want my work to encourage people to look more carefully at the world around them and to discover beauty in the little things.
My journey so far has taught me that we are chameleons. Surrounding myself with the right people and knowledge has enriched my colour palette and gotten me to where I am today.
I will continue growing and look forward to future collaborations!