Joey Brock’s artwork bridges photography, textiles, and contemporary craft to explore the layered stories that shape who we are. By weaving together diverse materials. His use of perfectly colored threads, images, and textures, he creates visual candy that narrates the relationships between people, how we are perceived or our perception of self. His pieces invite reflection on the shared journey of becoming, revealing the quiet struggles, resilience, and growth that define human experience.Joey's art transforms personal histories into tactile textile portraits that blur the line between image and object. Each piece is made with care, using hand-stitching and techniques drawn from the American quilting tradition. These gestures evoke both the scars and the healing within our collective past.Brock’s practice celebrates the beauty, vulnerability, and strength of humanity. Through his work, he creates space for reflection and empathy, reminding us that we are all connected by the threads of shared experience. ARTIST STATEMENT As a mixed media artist, I strive to create unique and thought-provoking pieces that blur the lines between photography, textile, and contemporary craft. My goal is to create visual narratives that explore the complex relationships between people and places, to challenge the viewer to question their own perceptions of the world around them. Through my work, I seek to promote a deeper understanding of the beauty and intricacies of our world, while also exploring the darker themes that exist beneath the surface. From the personal to the political, the stories I weave within my pieces are intended to engage the viewer emotionally and intellectually, creating a visceral connection that lingers long after the initial encounter. As an artist, I am passionate about telling the stories of individuals from diverse communities. My art is rooted in personal interviews with those from the LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities, which form the foundation for my photography-based portraits. I consider my work to be deconstructed contemporary portraits that are meant to challenge and confront traditional ideas of beauty and identity. Drawing inspiration from a variety of sources, from photography to geometric patterns and textures, I experiment with a range of materials and techniques, incorporating everything from embroidery thread, alternative materials to digital printing and layering. The process of creating my art is labor-intensive, as I incorporate hand-stitched and craft media techniques, drawing on the rich history of quilting in America. Stitching is an integral part of my work and the viewer can see the DNA from my fashion merchandising background. The quilting reference, symbolic of our American patchwork of cultures, all of which delineate the hard-worn scars of our histories and the healing within. Quilting for me is as kinetic as a visual manifestation of this tension. My first memories of quilting began weaving through my childhood thanks to my Grandmother’s and great-aunts’ ritual union with fabrics on our family farm. By utilizing these techniques, I seek to imbue each piece with a sense of warmth and humanity, as well as to signify the importance of often-overlooked artistic traditions. My art aims to celebrate the beauty and strength of individuals who have been historically marginalized by society. Through my work, I hope to create a space for diverse voices and experiences to be seen and heard, as well as to inspire empathy and connection among the viewers.