Isaac Levin is a Milwaukee-based artist who was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He's completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Studio Art at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts. Levin is a dual-discipline creative, focusing on photography and ceramics. He uses photography to share his experience as a Black, Gay, Jewish man, opening the door for his viewers to deepen their understanding of the themes he discusses regarding his identity and unique perspective. In addition to photography, Levin creates ceramic sculptures that represent how he perceives the world. Levin has exhibited in galleries such as The Center for Contemporary Art and Kenilworth Square East Gallery in Wisconsin. Levin’s BFA installation titled Pick A Nig shows that violence against Black people is not just a historical reality, but one that continues today.

 

Levin is a current cohort member of the Bridge Work 12 program located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he continues to use his identity and perspective to shape his art and to
encourage his audiences to learn and grow with him.

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"My body of work in photography and ceramics explores themes of personal identity and lived experience. As a Black, gay man adopted into a white family, I express my perspectives through organic forms and self-portraiture. The lighting studio and potter's wheel serve as spaces where I translate the central ideas of my identity into immersive representations for the viewer. I create hand-built and wheel-thrown organic forms to give my concepts a tangible presence. Through photography, I employ self-portraits to evoke the emotions inherent in my perspective.

 

I draw influence from artists who use their own experiences to address complex topics, sometimes with humor and often with serious undertones. For example, Carrie Mae Weems and Hank Willis Thomas create work rooted in their personal histories. Weems highlights individuals who have been silenced or overlooked through photography, while Thomas employs various media to explore themes of identity, commodification, and culture. In works such as Pick A Nig, I confront the legacy of the plantation era and protest, incorporating authentic words and stories of the misrepresented. Similarly, I intertwine my experiences and history to emphasize that these realities remain present and relevant in contemporary society.

 

Photography and ceramics serve as primary modes for expressing my emotions, perspectives, and self-identity. Through self-portraits and ceramic forms, I invite my audience to consider alternative perspectives on the world. By sharing my journey and the layered nuances of my identity, I foster empathy, spark dialogue, and encourage viewers to reflect on their own experiences and the diverse stories of those around them."

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