Leon´s subjects vary from the young and beautiful to the queer; from drug- and sex-driven exuberance to Mexico’s eternal and omnipresent flirtation with death. Although Chucho’s work is included in some of Mexico’s major collections, it has yet to receive the recognition it deserves. Vida puts José León on the map in Mexico, where international recognition is often a prerequisite for recognition at home.

Chucho is influenced by the aesthetics of Mexican Catholicism as well as by fashion magazines and photobooks, which he studies obsessively. Although an autodidact, his works reveal a thoroughgoing knowledge and understanding of the history of photography and an uncanny feel for his surroundings.