Alums - Syracuse University
Jay Muhlin
artist statement:
The images featured here are a handful from a growing body of work that are being edited into a photo book called Guilty Pleasures. The project aims to be playful and engage the viewer in the season and vernacular of winter, inside and outside. These images remedy the harshness of winter that is best survived with comfort and humor. Guilty Pleasures is indicative of my expansive art practice, which is fairly broad and primarily project-based, utilizing my background in photography. My projects come from my experiences that are then crafted by detailed photographic research that often negotiates emotional territory with a camera. I employ a wide range of visual languages through immersive photographic exploration, addressing the themes of loss, intimacy, comfort, anxiety, and masculinity.
what do you love about the MFA program at Syracuse University?
Studying at Syracuse University’s Transmedia Art Photography program has been a rewarding experience because of the opportunities to diversify my practice and work with supportive and invested artists. I am in the middle of my final year; having a three year program offers the ability to take more risks. In my studies I was able to take sculpture, video, and poetry to expand my own boundaries and raise deeper connections within my art practice. The professors and my colleagues have been generative in broadening my understanding of art and helping shape my interest in and passion for making images. It’s all about the people: being part of the art community and keeping company with some incredibly talented and smart folks.
graduation date: May 2012
Jay Muhlin, from the series Guilty Pleasures.