* All images used with permission. Please do not distribute without first contacting the artist.
Zac Freeman graduated cum laude from his fine art degree at Jacksonville University, Florida, in 1997. He has collected junk and found objects for use in his creations since 1999.
He explains his work by saying, “My work focuses primarily on portraits created by assembling found objects, disposable goods, and the leftover trash of things we consume in our society. I glue the bits of junk to a wooden substrate, a canvas, which forms the image of a portrait. The result is a stunningly realistic portrait at a distance and an interesting array of objects up close.
I am interested in communicating through visual representation in apparent 2-dimensional space and also communicating through the actual objects used for the medium in 3-dimensional space.
It is very important to me that I incorporate the actual objects into the art as opposed to a picture or rendition of it because it better expresses the intention of the artwork. I feel the junk is more powerful being present. It is an actual thing to be reckoned with that existed in this time and place and carries energy in and of itself. The result is a time capsule of objects that reflects our culture.
My assemblage artworks have continued to encapsulate cultural change. For example, grey film canister tops used in my early junk portraits are very rare now as our society has moved to digital cameras. An iPhone used as shading on a cheek looks desired one year and archaic the next as society, technology, and consumables continue to change.”
