lens based artist living and working in brooklyn, new york

photograph by zackery kenric ali
Working Artist Statement
My process is an exploration of the limits of portrait photography, from where normally fixed identities may be problematized and examined in new ways. By photographing multiple angles and expressions of an individual, capturing a gesture, developing the prints, and cutting and collaging the different elements together, I aim to push the boundaries of what it means to represent someone truthfully. These collaged portraits are not an attempt at representing the subject in their entirety. Rather, they embody some of the many possible ways the subject may be presented, frustrating our intuitions of the portrait as a singular, definitive representation of the subject. In my photographic practice in general, I tend to shy away from the “perfect” photograph, and seek out ways to add more visual chaos to the image. Through multiple exposures, collage components, and darkroom imperfections, I play with questions of how reality, memory, and truth play a role in photographic representation.