Joel-Peter Witkin is a photographer whose images of the human condition are undeniably powerful. For more than twenty-five years, he has pursued his interest in spirituality and how it impacts the physical world in which we exist. Finding beauty within the grotesque, Witkin pursues this complex issue through people most often cast aside by society -- human spectacles -- including hermaphrodites, amputees, androgynes, carcasses, people with odd physical capabilities and "any living myth ... anyone bearing the wounds of Christ."

His fascination with other people's physicality has inspired works that confront our sense of normalcy and decency, while constantly examining the teachings handed down through Christianity. Referencing works by various artists, including Blake, Bosch, Goya and Miro, Witkin attempts to construct a new history for and about himself, redefining the past in a present day context. Visiting medical schools, morgues and asylums around the world, he seeks out his collaborators, who, in the end, represent the numerous personas of the artist himself. The resulting photographs are haunting and beautiful, bizarre yet bold in their defiance – a compassionate beauty that is as compelling as it is taboo.