"When I became comfortable with my sexuality, I felt relief.  I believed that I had become part of a community that would further nourish me as a person and an artist.  However, as time went on, I began to recognize the many layers of the gay community.  I never expected to feel guilt and criticism from those with whom I perceived to have so much in common.  When I started to take my art practice seriously, I felt struggles in the world of art, similar to those I felt in the gay community.  While criticism is an essential part to an art practice, what one makes work about and how one executes that work is under intense scrutiny.  The distinction between one's authentic self and one's reputed self can become unclear in both communities." 

Scott Csoke is a Richmond-based photographer and painter born in Rockville, Maryland in 1993. Having lived in four different states before the age of 14, self-reflection and inward thinking quickly became a way for him to understand his changing environments.  Personal experiences are essential to both of his art practices and allow him to navigate both bodies of work.  Deconstructing stereotypes and expectations are just a few of the themes he explores.  His work has been featured by Ignant, VSCO, and Need Supply Co.  Scott recently obtained a BFA in Photography from Virginia Commonwealth University, and is currently living in New York City.