SHOOT PORTRAITS NOT PEOPLE USES RECYCLED CAMERA EQUIPMENT TO CREATE ANATOMICALLY CORRECT WEAPON SCULPTURE. THE FINAL PRODUCTS ARE INTERACTIVE AND POWERFUL INSTALLATIONS THAT COMMENT ON THE VIOLENT ABUSE OF THESE ARTFUL MACHINES, WHILE CLEVERLY EXPOSING THE SHARED VOCABULARY ASSOCIATED WITH PHOTOGRAPHY AND WEAPONRY.
JASON SIEGEL
MEET THE ARTIST
Jason Siegel is an accomplished, Denver-based, commercial photographer specializing in the lifestyle, music & apparel industries. Through the last decade, Jason’s creative mind and well-connected presence have allowed him to expand from photography into comprehensive installation and sculpture work, store design, gallery curation, and apparel design. Internationally recognized for his projects, Siegel has traveled to 50+ countries, continuing to provide him with inspiration found in the places he visits and people with whom he creates relationships.
FEATURED IN
THE COLLECTION
BEHIND THE BUILD
RECYCLED CAMERA EQUIPMENT BECOMES HIGH-POWERED WEAPONRY IN A SERIES OF ANTI-VIOLENCE ART INSTALLATIONS
CONCEPTED BY SIEGEL IN EARLY 2016, SHOOT PORTRAITS NOT PEOPLE BEGAN AS A PHOTO OF HIS PERSONAL CAMERA EQUIPMENT ORGANIZED IN THE SHAPE OF A RIFLE ON HIS LIVING ROOM FLOOR. WITH A VIRAL RESPONSE FROM HIS ONLINE FOLLOWING, SIEGEL SPENT THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR ROUNDING UP RECYCLED CAMERA EQUIPMENT TO CREATE NEW DESIGNS. IN NOVEMBER 2016, SIEGEL BEGAN TO TRANSFORM HIS FLAT LAYS INTO PHYSICAL SCULPTURE.
THE FIRST SERIES OF SHOOT PORTRAITS NOT PEOPLE DEBUTED AND QUICKLY SOLD OUT IN JANUARY 2017 AT THE BLK MKT IN ASPEN, COLORADO. THIS FIRST UNVEILING OF THE CONTROVERSIAL PROJECT WAS MET WITH MIXED RESPONSES FROM THE PUBLIC; THE ASPEN EXHIBIT WAS EVEN SUBJECT TO A POLICE INVESTIGATION ON THE SUSPICION THAT HIGH-POWERED WEAPONRY WAS BEING SOLD AT AN ART EXHIBIT. SINCE THE DEBUT, SHOOT PORTRAITS NOT PEOPLE HAS BEEN DEVELOPED INTO MULTIPLE SERIES, INCLUDING A SHOW AT EVOKE CONTEMPORARY IN SANTA FE, NM IN 2017, AND TWO MORE SHOWS IN ASPEN - ONE DURING THE 2018 X-GAMES AND ANOTHER AT BLK MKT 2018.
SINCE ITS CONCEPTION, SHOOT PORTRAITS NOT PEOPLE HAS GAINED EXCITED INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION FROM THE MEDIA, LARGE COLLECTORS, AND EVEN FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS, WITH CONTINUED MOMENTUM.
FROM THE TIME OF CONCEPTION, ALL 22 LARGER SCALE SCULPTURES, INCLUDING THE JEEP, HAVE BEEN SOLD. HOWEVER, A HANDFUL OF GRENADES AND A SELECTION OF LIMITED EDITION PRINTS STILL REMAIN AVAILABLE UNTIL THE RELEASE OF THE NEXT SERIES.
