Stephen Spiller
“I’m interested in social, cultural, and political themes which I explore through my photographs as well as other media, such as the internet, print publications, etc. I use text and digital manipulation extensively to present my ideas, favoring black and white images which allows me to focus on ideas I care most about without the distraction of color. Central to my thinking is that too few people recognize or explore events molding their identity and therefore fail to understand what stimulates their behavior. That failure, I believe, leaves unresolved fundamental questions such as: How do I accurately define myself? What is my purpose in life? What are my values and world views?
Examples of behavior patterns I focus on include racial prejudice, economic disparity, the absence of universal healthcare, denying women control over their lives, the lack of affordable, quality education, gun violence, etc. Specifically, I have made artworks dealing with fashion, prostitution, aging, gender, rape, misogyny, etc. What I’d like my art to accomplish is to raise “mindfulness” on the subjects of identity and consequential behavior.”
— Stephen Spiller
Stephen Spiller is a self-taught photographer who came to art at age fifty-nine. In 2002 he moved from California to Manhattan radically altering his worldview and his understanding of what motivated him. Inspired by artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Banksy, and Barbara Kruger, he began asking himself, “what the world would be like if everyone thought about/understood events in life modeling their identity. What if people were aware of why they act as they do? What if they said: I am a racist because my father hated blacks. I am a misogynist because I hated my mother. I am a rapist because it makes me feel powerful. I wear make-up because my looks aren’t fashionable.” Since moving to New York Spiller’s attention has focused on social and political issues, including the matter of identity.
