Born 1986. Lives in Cleveland, OH.

Joseph Minek conducts “experiments” by manipulating photographic developing material to push at the boundaries of photography. Minek’s work explores the physicality of the materials and finds new ways they can be used to create a mark and collectively an image. The process is integral to his finished product; the photographs do not involve a camera and are not representational of the world in the traditional sense. As a professor at The Cleveland Institute of Art, Minek advocates that “you must first understand the rules in order to break them.” While he does invite chance into his process, he works deliberately and methodically plans out his process for each unique photograph. The results are luminescent, richly colored abstract compositions on glossy, metallic paper.

Joseph Minek received his MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University and his BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art. He is adjunct faculty at The Cleveland Institute of Art (Cleveland, OH) and Cuyahoga Community College (Cleveland, OH). His work is in numerous public collections including The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, Rubell Family Collection, Miami, FL, New York Presbyterian¬ Hospital, New York, NY, Bidwell Projects, Cleveland, OH, Metro Health Systems, and Hilton Cleveland, Cleveland, OH.