SSION
Cody Critcheloe is an American director, photographer, visual artist, and musician. He is known for his provocative and visually daring work across music videos and photography. His visual language—often maximalist, deeply referential, and playfully confrontational—draws inspiration from punk graphics, queer iconography, '90s advertising, and experimental art house cinema.
Also recorded as The Ssion
SSION
Digifid · Picture taken at show in 2014 · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- Cody Critcheloe (fka SSION)
- Occupation
- * Photographer
- Full name
- Cody Critcheloe.
- Born
- 1982 · Lewisport.
- Nationality
- United States
- Fields
- art pop · electroclash · indietronica
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for SSION. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
In this article
Biography
Biography
Initially gaining recognition through the multimedia project SSION (pronounced shun), Critcheloe has become known for crafting surreal, high concept-driven works characterized by cinematic storytelling, saturated visual aesthetics, and subversive humor. In 2023, Critcheloe earned a Libera nomination for Video of the Year for Yeah Yeah Yeahs's "Spitting Off the Edge of the World". In 2025, he earned a Grammy nomination for Best Album Cover for Perfume Genius's Glory, which he photographed and creative directed.
Ssion performing at Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, Texas
alamosbasement
Key facts
Key facts
• Background — person • Name — Cody Critcheloe (fka SSION) • Origin — Kansas City, Missouri, US • Genre — * Queercore • punk • pop • indie rock • Years Active — 2002–current • Website — ssion.com • Occupation — * Photographer • visual artist • musician
Life and career
Life and career
Critcheloe was born and raised in Kentucky. 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. 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. Critcheloe is celebrated for his hyper-stylized, concept-driven work with artists such as Robyn, Yves Tumor, 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 videography
Selected videography
• 2026 - Katseye, Animal, music video director • 2025 – Perfume Genius, "It's a Mirror", music video director • 2025 – Perfume Genius, "No Front Teeth" ft. aldous harding, music video director • 2025 – J-Hope feat. GloRilla, "Killin' It Girl", music video director, photographer • 2025 – Katseye, "Gnarly", music video director • 2024 – Katseye, "Touch", music video director • 2023 – Yves Tumor, "Heaven Surrounds Us Like a Hood", music video director • 2023 – Gossip, Crazy Again, video director • 2023 - Diesel, D-Red Fragrance Campaign, director & photographer • 2023 - Kim Petras, "Slut Pop Miami," director & photographer • 2022 – Yeah Yeah Yeahs featuring Perfume Genius, "Spitting Off the Edge of the World", music video director – nominated for the Libera Award for Video of the Year • 2022 – Demi Lovato, "Substance", music video director • 2020 – Yves Tumor, "Kerosene", music video director • 2020 - Versace "All for You", Holiday Campaign Short, director • 2019 – Allie X, "Fresh Laundry", music video director • 2019 – Allie X, "Regulars", music video director • 2019 – King Princess, "Ohio", music video director • 2018 – Robyn, "Between the Lines", music video director • 2018 – King Princess, "Prophet", music video director • 2015 – Robyn, "Love is Free", music video director • 2015 – Lower Dens, "To Die in L.A.", music video director • 2015 – Brooke Candy, "Renegade", music video director • 2014 – Dum Dum Girls, "Lost Boys and Girls Club", music video director • 2014 – Kylie Minogue, "Sexercize", music video director • 2014 – Perfume Genius, "Queen", music video director • 2015 – Mykki Blanco, "No Leash", music video director • 2011 – Santigold, "Big Mouth", music video director • 2011 – MNDR, "#1 in Heaven", music video director • 2010 – Gossip, Men in Love, music video director • 2010 – Peaches, "Billionaire", music video director • 2009 – Gossip, Music for Men, infomercial director • 2008 – Tilly and the Wall, "Beat Control", music video director • 2005 – Liars, "There's Always Room on the Broom", music video director SSION – self-directed music videos • 2018 – SSION, "At Least the Sky Is Blue", director • 2018 – SSION, "Heaven is My Thing Again", director • 2018 – SSION, "Inherit", director • 2018 – SSION, "Comeback", director • 2013 – SSION, "Luvvbazaar", music video director • 2013 – SSION, "High", music video director • 2012 – SSION, "Earthquake", music video director • 2012 – SSION, "Feel Good (4-Evr)", music video director • 2012 – SSION, "Psy-chic", music video director • 2012 – SSION, "My Love Grows in the Dark", music video director • 2010 – SSION, "Clown", music video director • 2009 – SSION, Bullshit, music video director • 2008 – SSION, "Ah Ma", music video director • 2008 – SSION, "A Wolves Eye", music video director • 2008 – SSION, "Credit in the Straight World", music video director • 2008 – SSION, "Warm Glove", music video director • 2007 – SSION, "ASAP", music video director • 2006 – SSION, "Street Jizz", music video director
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Ssion, revision 1371667413 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Benjamin, Mark. Interview: SSION, As Big As I Can Dream. RAIN Magazine. July 17, 2020.
- 2.Cody Critcheloe discusses his new album, O. Artforum. May 7, 2018.
- 3.Garcia, Thania. Wet Leg, Sudan Archives and more win big at 2023 A2IM Libera Awards. Variety. June 16, 2023.
- 4.2026 GRAMMYS Nominations: Best Album Cover Nominees GRAMMY.com. grammy.com.
- 5.Farber, Jim. Ssion, a D.I.Y. Hero of the Technicolor Underground, Returns Refreshed (Published 2018). The New York Times. April 26, 2018. 0362-4331.
- 6.Ssion: Bent. Pitchfork.
- 7.KATSEYE (캣츠아이) "Touch" Official MV. July 26, 2024.
- 8.Allie X – Fresh Laundry.
- 9.SSION ft. Ariel Pink - 'At Least The Sky Is Blue' [Official Music Video].
- 10.SSION – 'Comeback' (Official Music Video).
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 27 September 2026.
Elsewhere in Film memorabilia
38,713 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Sriram RaghavanPerson
- Sritam DasPerson
- Sriti JhaPerson
- Sriya ReddyPerson
- Stacey DashPerson
- Stacey FarberPerson
- Stacey LeePerson
- Stacey McKenziePerson
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by SSION?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.