"A too-expected image will never seem right, even if it is."

-Robert Bresson

Artist Statement

Drawing on a background in film, scenography, and theatrical artistry, Mike approaches every streetscape as a potential mise-en-scène, capturing unscripted compositions of city life when its ‘players’, lighting, and staging, unwittingly find themselves in consonance with a compelling narrative.

Following a diagnosis of birdshot uveitis (a condition causing distorted vision - a bit like seeing the world through a petri dish), the work has shifted even greater prominence on to bold geometrics, colour palettes, and textures.

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Mike Longley’s street, portraiture and collage pieces have been featured in exhibitions presented by PhotoED Magazine, the Leslie Grove Gallery, and John B. Aird Gallery in Toronto, Ontario.

His street work was selected for the Second Annual Juried Show of Visual Arts at the Art Gallery of Mississauga.

He has twice made editor’s choice in international competitions through LensCulture.com, was a selected finalist in SNAP for ACTs 2024 charity auction, and recieved an honourable mention in the 2025 international Minimalist Photography Awards.

His work hangs in hotels, and private collections throughout Canada and the United States.

Mike studied portraiture at OCAD University, Digital Media and Theatre Arts at George Brown, and lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

@yyzmikey