I found Josh Tk on instagram. His faceless photography is mysteriously beautiful and compelling. You can't just look at one picture. You'll eventually find yourself clicking on every square on his instagram profile much like I did. To my delight, I discovered that Josh Tk is from my hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. So I reached out to him to express my fandom and whadayaknow, he's the nicest guy on earth!
Josh invited me to shoot a few faceless pics with him and told me to pick the location. I chose one of my favorite spots to walk through in St. Louis: Concordia Seminary. It has a quiet, gothic feel to it, and my hunch was that Josh would dig it as a backdrop. These are the pictures he shot. Now, I'm going to tell you what they mean.
Josh started the faceless photography project a few years ago as a creative outlet. By the time his photographs started getting noticed through social media, it was already a passion project. There are 3 main themes driving his art: exploration, solitude and movement. Josh says...
"I'm hella curious about this beautiful world that we live in, which is why I spend a lot of time trudging thru forests, running around the city, and poking my head inside abandoned/forgotten structures. It's also why I travel a lot. For me, no space or environment is off limits. If it peaks my curiosity, I'm gonna explore it, and my art aims to be a reflection of this."
Josh loves fitness. His adventures are never without it. I was excited to find out he's a cyclist. He lives on his bike. If you don't believe me, click here. It's how he does all his exploring. And for the most part, he does it ALONE.
"I tend to (and prefer to) explore this world solo, and so the "faceless-last-man-on-earth" vibe that I present in my photography is really a manifestation (and embracement) of my introverted side."
When I ask him how movement is conveyed in his pictures since he's standing perfectly still in every one, he says...
"Movement is the invisible hand that makes my art possible. Whether I'm crawling through an abandoned school, riding my bike across the country (or even just the city), or simply hiking a trail, movement is what makes all of this possible. In order for me to take these photos and to be physically present in these spaces, I have to actually move my body from one point in space to another."
Ultimately, Josh Tk's art is a celebration of where movement can take you; a reminder that our bodies are engines designed to explore. I loved meeting Josh and getting to see a side of him that most people don't--HIS FACE!
I leave you with my own portrait of Josh, and this link to his website.
