John Belue

John Belue is a visual artist who utilizes the collaging and abstraction of vintage photographs to explore the validity of the photographic medium as a means of preservation. John is originally from Ravenswood West Virginia. He received his Bachelor of fine Arts from Point Park University and now works and resides in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.

“The photograph is a physical embodiment of human memory. The photographs in my work are objects that exist after the demise of the moment in which they maintained their authentic affiliations. I feel a need to not only collect these objects but to chronicle their partial and malleable history. When I work with a photograph taken by another person, it is without its original context. The only emotional connection I can have with the photograph is a visceral reaction to its aesthetic value or projections of my own past experiences.”