Joshua Kristal

Photographer Joshua Kristal has been casting his lens on a wide range of subjects since 1994.  Over the past twenty years, he has photographed everything from the Neo-Druids of Stonehenge to the Satmar community in Crown Heights to radical right-wing Michigan Militia members. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and Time, among other publications. He also has exhibited his photographs in Detroit, and Lansing, Mich., Jackson Hole, Wyo., and at the Indian Consulate in New York City.

Joshua works primarily in a documentary style, and much of his work is a visual journal of his travels, capturing the eccentric sub-cultures found in places as diverse as the highlands of Peru, rural India and the urban ruins of Detroit.  Seeking out stories about those that exist on the periphery of mainstream life, his photographs create compelling narratives of the contemporary folklore and obscure rituals that are easy to miss if you don't know where - or how - to look.

Driven by a belief in the power of the still image to effect social and political change, Joshua has volunteered his services for a number of non-profit organizations he supports, including Housing Works and the Innocence Project.  A 2014 recipient of the Getty Images Lean-In Creative Grant, Joshua will be traveling to Africa later this year to collaborate with the Inspired Storytellers Collective on a visual campaign to support Girls Gotta Run!, a non-profit organization that empowers young Ethiopian women through the sport of long-distance running. He is also preparing to launch The Visual Aid Foundation, which will offer free photographic services to non-profit organizations.

 

Exhibition

Opening & Art Talk - Oct 17. 2017

SouthernScapes

October 17, 2017

Event Summary

On September 24th, we opened our fall exhibition at the Society for Domestic Museology. SouthernScapes is made up of two series of photographs by Joshua Kristal.  Both were taken in the American South, and that is where the similarities end.  Or do they?  In keeping with the geographic theme, we went southern with the food for the opening: brisket sliders with coleslaw, baby-back ribs, macaroni and cheese, Ritz crackers with pimento cheese spread and collard greens... Our apartment smelled like a smokehouse.   
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