About

Bio

Artist DJ Diaz was born in Los Angeles, California, and is currently based in Spokane,

Washington. DJ earned an Associate Degree in Fine Arts at Spokane Falls Community

College in Spokane, Washington, and is currently working on a Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts at Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Washington. He has participated in

numerous regional exhibitions. DJ specializes in analog photography, but is

interdisciplinary. He enjoys exploring other mediums, such as sculpture, installation,

painting, and performance art. He is heavily influenced by the artists Man Ray and Hans

Bellmer. DJ was awarded the Miller Askman Art scholarship in 2025. His writing was

published at Eastern Washington University in 2025. DJ worked as a gallery intern for

EWU in 2025. He is currently working on a body of work that questions the relationship

between identity and corruption, illustrated by the human figure.

Artist Statement

My work explores the tension between light and darkness, certainty and uncertainty,

and the push and pull that exists within all of us at different stages of our lives.

Darkness in my images is indicative of what we do not understand about ourselves, the

unanswered questions and internal unrest. The greys remind me of storm winds, our

minds chaotically trying to tell us something we cannot yet put together. The white is the

light, where the torch bearer illuminates the work. Within each piece, there is continual

movement between shadow and illumination, a play that unfolds across every print and

every layer of the process.

At its core, my practice questions perception and material identity. The viewer is invited

to question what exactly they are looking at. Is it a painting, or is it a photograph? Is it

derived from the physical body, or is it derived from light? By exploring the sensitivity

between mediums, I work to subvert the traditions of each discipline, challenging the

rigidness and expectations upon which those traditions were built. The goal is not to

dissolve boundaries entirely, but to hybridize them, allowing each medium to destabilize

the other.

The act of making photographs is traditionally a mechanical process, requiring minimal

effort from the artist’s hands. In response, I reintroduce the hand into the photographic

process through collage, painting over negatives, solarization, and the implementation

of cliché verre, a technique derived from printmaking practices that utilizes light when

painted elements are reduced. Though the hand is not directly seen, the physical work

of the body is brought into light. Exploring darkroom techniques and becoming

accustomed to the sabattier effect’s unpredictability has empowered me to hybridize

other disciplines within the work.

I abstract and distort my subjects by collaging them, painting over their negatives, and

solarizing the image. Each time I engage these processes, there are accidents and

discoveries.

Bachelor of Fine Arts
Eastern Washington University
Cheney, WA
2026

Associate of Fine Arts
Spokane Falls Community
College
Spokane, WA
2021

2021- - Bridgeport
Cellars, Spokane, WA

2021- - SFCC
Fine Arts Gallery

2025- - Spokane, WA

Travis Forcier
Nicholas Eaton
Noah Hersh
Miguel Reyes

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