Joel-Peter Witkin Retrospective at Fahey/Klein Gallery Explores Faith and Marginalized Bodies

Key facts

• Joel-Peter Witkin's five-decade retrospective is on view at Fahey/Klein Gallery in Los Angeles.
• Witkin created tableau vivant photographs from the 1970s through 2018, when he was diagnosed with dementia.
• He worked exclusively with traditional cameras and black-and-white film, building sets and developing his own prints.
• His expressive techniques include scratching negatives and treating prints with bleach or encaustic.
• Works express compassion for marginalized groups, including people with dwarfism, amputees, and LGBTQ+ individuals, especially intersex people.
• "Ecce Homo, NYC" (1975) shows a male hippie nude in high heels, equating him with art historical Christs.
• "Gods of Earth and Heaven, LA" (1988) mimics Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus" (c. 1484–86).
• "The Soul Has No Gender, Mexico" (2016) depicts a nude intersex person holding a skull in the memento mori tradition.
• "The Kiss (Le Braiser)" (1982) was constructed from a corpse's head split in half, evoking same-sex love and narcissism.
• Witkin is an identical twin; his brother is painter Jerome Witkin.