Los Angeles and Mexico City hold a special place in Stuart Sandford’s heart, as well as in his art. He has spent most of the last 8 years living and working between the two cities, which have greatly inspired and influenced his practice and life. Sandford’s original Polaroid Collage series (2018-TBA) started in Los Angeles and was initially exhibited in Mexico City. Therefore, he believes that creating a new series specifically focused on these two remarkable cities is a natural direction and evolution for his work.

Sandford aims to create a dialogue between these two vast, imposing, and sometimes impenetrable megacities, driven by two things: his love for his adopted homes, and his perspective as a stranger looking in, admitting to being an outsider who feels welcomed by both cities. While there are great parallels between the two cities, significant differences also exist. For instance, Los Angeles’ LGBTQ+ community is much more established and “acceptable,” while Mexico City’s community still feels somewhat clandestine and in development. An example of this is the current popularity of the ball culture in Mexico City, which is rapidly growing and following in the footsteps of the Ball culture of Los Angeles and New York in the 80s and 90s. These differences and similarities will inspire Sandford’s new Polaroid Collage series, which will explore themes such as intimacy, memory, place/space, sexuality, masculinity, and identity.