Joanna Biondolillo

EMail:

joanna@imagemerchants.com 

Artist Statement:

I began as a portrait photographer in Austin, Texas but now work almost exclusively in landscape photography and the photo-documentary. I was inducted into the National Association of Women Artists in New York, New York in November 2019. 

Landscape photography is what I do to make a living. Photo-documentaries are what I do to try to make a difference. I am committed to educating others regarding the many social justice issues that are often ignored or misunderstood.  

Although, my home base is now on Johns Island, S.C., I still spend a great deal of time in Austin where I began my career. I have come to know many of our homeless in the downtown area and I look for them whenever I am visiting. I have known Trey for several years. Each time I see him he looks thinner and weaker in both body and spirit. Our conversations almost always lead to Trey sharing how he feels about being homeless, overlooked, ignored. On the day I took this photo of him on 6th Street, his exact words to me were: “I hate my life. If I could peel my skin off I would. I hate being black.” Photography is about capturing a moment in time, about documenting reality. This image is our reality in America in 2021.