Artist Statement

Joe Ziolkowski
P.O. Box 546 · North Tonawanda, NY 14120 · 716.692.8352
www.joe-ziolkowski.com · email: joez@joe-ziolkowski.com

Artist Statement

At times the journey through life is one of total control and pleasure, in other instances it is a constant battle to maintain under a chaotic situation. For over 20 years, a large concentration of my photographs mirror my life and experiences with the intended to transcend you, the viewer, to your own personal drama.

With these photographs, the viewer is presented with staged scenes, including memorabilia from my own history. These little stories play off the ambiguous nature of fiction and biography (truth, history, reality). The examination of these staged dramas opens dialogue on what creates an individual, at present and in the future.

At the heart of these portfolio's is an attempt to interpret, define and redefine the sexual codes of men in our society at large. Through these images I encourage the viewer to explore their own sexual parameters and to interpret and redefine these boundaries we are conditioned to follow from birth.

The Numbered
Series: #801

Much of my work is done in series exploring specific issues within the aforementioned parameters. The Numbered Series deals with the emotions experienced while waiting for the H.I.V. test results. This work was begun in response to a 1988 Illinois law requiring testing in order to obtain a marriage license. Numbers were assigned to those tested to keep their identity anonymous. The sense of floating and lack of control were frequent responses to the experience. Although this Illinois law was repealed after only one year,this series is ongoing and will continue until a cure for A.I.D.S. is found.

Walking the Line

Seventy nine photographs from the series Walking the Line have been published in book format. This series is intended to directly address the issues of A.I.D.S. and its restrictions. At times, these photographs are reminders of people living in a culture that declares "All men are created equal" yet continues to exile a minority based on lifestyle. At other times, these images deal with the restrictions placed on relationships that must be maintained under oppression in order to continue a healthy existence.

The Pressure Series:
#920727-A-6

The Pressure Series is a visual metaphor for the vulnerable state of mind and body one experiences when two forces collide. At the extremes, the pressure and strain of this moment for some can be pleasurable, for others devastating. However,we do share a common response of internalizing these events - either allowing for decay or building on the event to create a more positive attitude.

The Silence Series:
Tenuous Motives

The Silence Series is meant to address issues which our society would rather avoid or shun from discussion. The sympathetic words we might offer to an individual in response to a death, a physical ailment, or devastating disaster, might be comforting, but they have little merit when compared to the affected individual. Can words create true felt emotions? Can we expect to recreate the real sensations we experience when trying to describe joy, pleasure or ecstasy? A silence of communication is regrettably the best response to many of these situations.

Tears,B

The statement for the series Tears is as follows.

1 tear n. 1a: a drop of clear saline fluid secreted by the lacrimal gland and diffused between the eye and eyelids to moisten the parts and facilitate their motion b pl: a secretion of profuse tears that overflow the eyelids and dampen the face 2 pl: an act of weeping or grieving < broken into tears> 3: a transparent drop of fluid or hardened fluid matter (as resin)

2 tear vi: to fill with tears: shed tears <eyes tearing in the November wind - Saul Bellow>

3 tear vb 1a: to separate parts of or pull apart by force: rend b: to wound by tearing: LACERATE <tear the skin> 2: to divide or disrupt by the pull of contrary forces <a mind torn with doubts> 3: to remove by force: WRENCH <tear a cover off a box> 4: to make or effect by or as if by tearing <tear a hole in the wall> vi 1: to separate on being pulled: rend<this cloth tears easily> 2: to move or act with violence, haste, or force <went tearing down the street>

I have embodied these issues of interpretation and examination of the relationships men have with men, and how society reacts to those dynamics in my work for more than 20 years. The political and cultural climate have been resistant, and at times challenging, but I will not relinquish the importance of diffusing the ignorance people have towards these topics.

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Joe Ziolkowski P.O. Box 546 · North Tonawanda, NY 14120 · 716.692.8352 www.joe-ziolkowski.com · email: joez@joe-ziolkowski.com
Artist Statement At times the journey through life is one of total control and pleasure, in other instances it is a constant battle to maintain under a chaotic situation. For over 20 years, a large concentration of my photographs mirror my life and experiences with the intended to transcend you, the viewer, to your own personal drama. With these photographs, the viewer is presented with staged scenes, including memorabilia from my own history. These little stories play off the ambiguous nature of fiction and biography (truth, history, reality). The examination of these staged dramas opens dialogue on what creates an individual, at present and in the future. At the heart of these portfolio's is an attempt to interpret, define and redefine the sexual codes of men in our society at large. Through these images I encourage the viewer to explore their own sexual parameters and to interpret and redefine these boundaries we are conditioned to follow from birth.
The Numbered Series: #801	Much of my work is done in series exploring specific issues within the aforementioned parameters. The Numbered Series deals with the emotions experienced while waiting for the H.I.V. test results. This work was begun in response to a 1988 Illinois law requiring testing in order to obtain a marriage license. Numbers were assigned to those tested to keep their identity anonymous. The sense of floating and lack of control were frequent responses to the experience. Although this Illinois law was repealed after only one year,this series is ongoing and will continue until a cure for A.I.D.S. is found.
Walking the Line	Seventy nine photographs from the series Walking the Line have been published in book format. This series is intended to directly address the issues of A.I.D.S. and its restrictions. At times, these photographs are reminders of people living in a culture that declares "All men are created equal" yet continues to exile a minority based on lifestyle. At other times, these images deal with the restrictions placed on relationships that must be maintained under oppression in order to continue a healthy existence.
The Pressure Series: #920727-A-6	The Pressure Series is a visual metaphor for the vulnerable state of mind and body one experiences when two forces collide. At the extremes, the pressure and strain of this moment for some can be pleasurable, for others devastating. However,we do share a common response of internalizing these events - either allowing for decay or building on the event to create a more positive attitude.
The Silence Series: Tenuous Motives	The Silence Series is meant to address issues which our society would rather avoid or shun from discussion. The sympathetic words we might offer to an individual in response to a death, a physical ailment, or devastating disaster, might be comforting, but they have little merit when compared to the affected individual. Can words create true felt emotions? Can we expect to recreate the real sensations we experience when trying to describe joy, pleasure or ecstasy? A silence of communication is regrettably the best response to many of these situations.
Tears,B	The statement for the series Tears is as follows. 1 tear n. 1a: a drop of clear saline fluid secreted by the lacrimal gland and diffused between the eye and eyelids to moisten the parts and facilitate their motion b pl: a secretion of profuse tears that overflow the eyelids and dampen the face 2 pl: an act of weeping or grieving < broken into tears> 3: a transparent drop of fluid or hardened fluid matter (as resin) 2 tear vi: to fill with tears: shed tears <eyes tearing in the November wind - Saul Bellow> 3 tear vb 1a: to separate parts of or pull apart by force: rend b: to wound by tearing: LACERATE <tear the skin> 2: to divide or disrupt by the pull of contrary forces <a mind torn with doubts> 3: to remove by force: WRENCH <tear a cover off a box> 4: to make or effect by or as if by tearing <tear a hole in the wall> vi 1: to separate on being pulled: rend<this cloth tears easily> 2: to move or act with violence, haste, or force <went tearing down the street>
I have embodied these issues of interpretation and examination of the relationships men have with men, and how society reacts to those dynamics in my work for more than 20 years. The political and cultural climate have been resistant, and at times challenging, but I will not relinquish the importance of diffusing the ignorance people have towards these topics.
\| Bio & Reviews \| Select Portfolios \| JoeZ \| Home \|