Reworked Artist Statement (In Progress)

I am obsessed with the history behind an image – that which is described by the photograph in front of me, but also the history which cannot be. That is what draws me to photography the most; the idea that no matter how much information is sharp and visible in an image, how detailed the title and how accurate the exposure, there is always a part of the image that was soley experienced by it’s creator. I love the idea that there is action in the images I make which can never be seen; the ghost of the picture which will always remain a mystery.

I have a friend who often talks about photographing the people he is close with as a way of maintaining relationships. I wonder if I agree with his logic, if the power between photographer and subject creates connection or destroys it. Can one maintain a relationship with someone they are constantly observing? This is a question I have surrounding our collective role as viewers, as an audience. If, for example, I photograph the things which gather on bookshelves in a friend’s apartment is this photograph a testament to our friendship and existence, or is it really a marker of the beginning of the end? What happens to a relationship, or for that matter, a place, when it is suddenly acknowledged as important?

My work often spans multiple mediums – photography, publishing and book making, as well as aspects of performance. My primary love and focus, however, is always photography. I photograph on a project basis, finding interest in a specific idea or situation and exploring it until I feel I am done and the work feels cohesive in sequence. If something makes sense as a zine or book, I begin the process of self publishing and move on to explore another topic. I have photographed the remnants of everyday life in gay men’s apartments, spent a year and a half making secretive pictures of people on the street below my bedroom windows, and am currently photographing the objects I left in my parents attic as I throw them out or give them away. The contemplative space of the photograph, the performative aspects of my gaze as the photographer, and the duality of loss and documentation are all issues I explore throughout each body. I am interested in engaging the viewer in a dialouge about our immeadiate environment, using photography in order to repurpose aspects taken from day to day life and encouraging the viewer to stop and rethink the otherwise banal aspects of the world around us.


Any comments or thoughts are totally invited and welcome. This is all still a work in progress.