Zora J Murff
(b. 1987)Artist and educator Zora J Murff explores the politics of stereotypes and anti-blackness through the medium of photography.
Biography
Often employing bold and straightforward language, Murff’s photographs encourage viewers to reflect on the power visual culture has over understandings of race, class, and societal hierarchies.
Born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa, Murff studied photography at the University of Iowa while serving as a social worker for youth on court probation who were guided through therapy and community service as an alternative to incarceration. From 2013 to 2015, he photographed the teens he worked with in a portrait series titled “Corrections.” For his MFA tenure in Omaha, Nebraska, Murff’s thesis exhibition explored the effects of redlining on a nearby historically Black neighborhood with a collection of photographs of residents who shared their experiences with Murff. As a prime example of Murff’s practice as an artist, educator, and storyteller, Murff’s photographs showcase and unearth hidden histories, offering visual investigations of Black life—its horrors and joys.
Murff received his MFA in studio art from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and a BS in psychology from Iowa State University. The subject of multiple books, Murff worked with the Aperture to publish True Colors (or Affirmations in Crisis) (2022), featuring Garden with fruit (after Charles Ethan Porter) (which is held in the Studio Museum’s permanent collection). In 2023, Murff was awarded an International Center for Photography Infinity Award Winner in Documentary Practice and Visual Journalism.
Zora J Murff
(b. 1987)Artist and educator Zora J Murff explores the politics of stereotypes and anti-blackness through the medium of photography.
Biography
Often employing bold and straightforward language, Murff’s photographs encourage viewers to reflect on the power visual culture has over understandings of race, class, and societal hierarchies.
Born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa, Murff studied photography at the University of Iowa while serving as a social worker for youth on court probation who were guided through therapy and community service as an alternative to incarceration. From 2013 to 2015, he photographed the teens he worked with in a portrait series titled “Corrections.” For his MFA tenure in Omaha, Nebraska, Murff’s thesis exhibition explored the effects of redlining on a nearby historically Black neighborhood with a collection of photographs of residents who shared their experiences with Murff. As a prime example of Murff’s practice as an artist, educator, and storyteller, Murff’s photographs showcase and unearth hidden histories, offering visual investigations of Black life—its horrors and joys.
Murff received his MFA in studio art from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and a BS in psychology from Iowa State University. The subject of multiple books, Murff worked with the Aperture to publish True Colors (or Affirmations in Crisis) (2022), featuring Garden with fruit (after Charles Ethan Porter) (which is held in the Studio Museum’s permanent collection). In 2023, Murff was awarded an International Center for Photography Infinity Award Winner in Documentary Practice and Visual Journalism.