Martin Krafft
Martin Krafft received an MFA at the University of Arizona in Photography, Video, and Imaging, and his undergraduate degree in Creative Writing and Economics at Emory University. He has worked as a nonviolence facilitator, community organizer, ranch hand, volunteer firefighter, carpenter, and teacher. His artmaking weaves together experimental documentary and social practice as he explores the intersection between art and community organizing. He is also a published writer, having published essays, poetry, and short stories.
I make experimental documentary videos and social practice art investigating the ways in which humans pursue meaning in their lives. Through interviews, I ask open-ended questions whose complex answers challenge the way our society hides and reduces experiences that do not fit into cultural hegemonic norms. Inspired by my Quaker practice, I make work based on my belief in “an inner light,” or innate value, of all people. By creating platforms for those who have been othered to share their struggles and reflections, I propose a gritty, inclusive vision of the public to complicate the mythologized idea of America as a homogenous middle-class society. I draw from my experience as a community organizer and activist to explore new ways of expanding traditional art audiences.
Prayers from the Street
Video. Dimensions Vary
Stuck
Video. Dimensions Vary.
