Adam Leitzel

Adam Leitzel is an artist based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Adam’s work tends to focus on interpersonal struggles, and his place within society. His work has been exhibited locally at the Demuth Museum, Rock Lititz, and the North Museum of Nature and Science, internationally at the Pingyao International Photography Festival in China, and online with Humble Arts Foundation and Darkside Collective.

The Most Important Decision of Your Life

The Most Important Decision of Your Life is about transitioning from childhood to adulthood, and the conformity that society expects one to fall into. This project uses the fallout of events from getting in trouble with the law as a guideline to talk about fabricated perceptions of who I am, and expectations of who I should be.

The viewer is asked to become an investigator, questioning the severity of the situation, as well as trying to piece together what exactly happened. Locations, still lifes, and portraits are all tied together with this looming dread that does not overtly present itself. I am using images to figure out what it means to conform to a normalized system of order.

References to identification systems that the law enforcement use are present throughout the work. An evidence bag, something used to keep a catalogue of an individual’s belongings, is anthropomorphized by it’s slumped over nature. Hands are commonly used as a factual identification tool within the U.S legal system, but here they are being used as a way to represent my personality. The self-portrait outside the courthouse shows a docile side to the character that is represented throughout the project, his hands clasped together signifying he is nonthreatening.

My work is meant to voice frustrations with societal expectations and question the idea of success. One’s flaws do not define who they are. People can change, and the choices they make help define their character.

To view more of Adam Leitzel’s work please visit their website.