Aaron Wax is an artist and photographer living and working in Brooklyn, NY. He earned his MFA in Photography, Video, and Related Media from the School of Visual Arts in New York, NY in 2014. His work has been exhibited throughout the United States as well as featured on various online and print art publications. Last year Wax was the Third Prize Winner at Photowork 2016 at the Barret Art Center in Poughkeepsie, NY. Most recently he was exhibited at the Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester, MA, The Garner Center for Photographic Exhibitions in Boston, MA, Seigfred Gallery at Ohio University in Athens, OH and the Rockaway Artists Alliance in Queens, NY. His recent work is concerned with family stories and memories. These projects have often developed into books driven by an interest in how narrative structure fits within photography. His work is concerned with oral histories and the act of collecting as an extension of memory.
Naturalization
Naturalization is an exploration into the life of my grandfather, a Polish Jew, who moved to the United States before the Second World War with hopes to earn enough money to bring his wife and children to join him. Unfortunately, the War began before they could join him in the States and they were killed. Although he passed away before I was born, I have always felt close to his story. If not for his great loss I would not have been born. Much of what I know from my grandfather’s life is reconstructed through oral histories. The shift inevitable in our flawed memories allows for the creation of a new and equally flawed narrative.
I create images from my grandfather’s saved objects, photographs, and documents. These images act as the framework for reconstructing his story. I also appropriate other materials to supplement my study. These objects act as a memory from another’s life. The inconsistencies and limitations within my family’s memory allow this appropriation. I will never be able to create an actuate representation of my grandfather’s life, but I am interested in constructing a reimagined narrative based on his past.
To view more of Aaron’s work please visit his website.