Joe Ziolkowski - Walking the line

Joel Ziolkowski received an Master of Fine from The Art Institute of Chicago in 1987. Around 1990 his career as a Fashion Photographer started in New York City. In his arts he has been photographing male nudes in which he explores the emotional and physical bonds between men.

I find the work of Joe Ziolkowski to be striking. This is partly due to the nudity of the images where the focus is on the male body, however without the images becoming erotic or sexual. The white blank backgrounds create a sense of timelessness that allows the beautiful bodies of men to stand out even more.

What I did not expect in Joe Ziolkowski's work was that his intention was not to capture the aesthetics of youthful, beautiful bodies. Instead, he wanted to express the visual metaphor of the elemental human condition.

Joe Zoilkowski's photographs have a delightful sense of humor at times.

Most of the men in the book are portrayed alone. They pose or move in a variety of poses that remind me of sports activities. Now and then they look like the old roman or greek statues you see in museums. some of the photos with two or more men remind me of that as well. Furthermore I would expect something sexual or homoerotic to appear in the photos with multiple men somewhere, it does not.

Joe Zoilkowski, for me, knows very well how to focus on the pure male body.