“Madonnas” make us feel the light of bruised and hurt bodies of women, captured as deities, in a theatrical scenography, becoming art icons and venered women. The sublimed nudity of women perceives the day in black and white. The shine of a radiant epiderm, embellished by welcoming reflections, reveals luminous divinities, whose presence submerges us. Under the deep shadows of  women masked and envelopped in mysterious nights, the poetic melancholy of death presence appears. Joel-Peter Witkin confronts us to the reality of bodies, of our immemorial fears and anxieties, of our fragility, our weaknesses and even our own faults. Careful, oh, careful… The choice of materials, inducing the contrast of colors, of lights is always at the center of the artist attention, acting then as small ceramic sculptures or larger iron installations. The structure of the artwork is theorised precisely and in a detailed way beforehand. Then, during the elaboration and realisation of the work, materials affirm their interiority and freedom. Thus establishing this practical alchemy. To the rough texture of the first material, sensitivity and delicacy of the artist come through the surface of the work.

Born in 1939 in Brooklyn, New York

Lives and works in Albuquerque, New Mexico (ISA)