Identity Art Home › Michael Matzko - Creative

Exploring the human spirit, one person at a time

Identity Art is based on the belief that your story is the core of your being.

We have the ability to express our story in a way which cannot be accomplished through words alone. Everyone has unique profound experiences that make us truly human, and exploring your emotional identity can lead to a profound and personally powerful masterpiece.

More Information

The best way to understand identity art is to have a small experience of it!

Prints, NFTs and other mediums

Michael Matzko has been creating portraits for over 15 years. His most powerful shoots have been sessions which were created around intensely personal stories. The idea that your identity, based on your experiences, thoughts and feelings, form who you think you are and have been the subject of Mr. Matzko’s art for several years.

If you like what you see, follow us on Social Media!

matzkostudio

Exploring the art of being human. #michaelmatzko

I like to shoot younger people and hear their stor

I like to shoot younger people and hear their stories because they are truly the future. This generation has challenges beyond our imagination. They are strong, determined, but also a bit lost. But the amount of varied experiences they are exposed to is something we haven't seen before - they are truly independent thinkers while desperately trying to fit in.

To shoot sessions with people about mental health, it means you have to do a bit of retrospection yourself, and have time to regenerate. That is why I'm going to take a short break from the socials - to work some more on my own story.

Many thanks to @jada_stock for being my muse in this session.
Agency: @nvmodels

#michaelmatzko #identity #tellyourstory

#summerbreak #reenergize #timeoff

"Internal Webs" Muse: @jo.beachh MUA: @cheysspac

"Internal Webs"

Muse: @jo.beachh
MUA: @cheysspace
Asst MUA: @jervinmakeup
NVmodels

#michaelmatzko #identity #tellyourstory

#artisticportrait #identityart #knowthyself #isolation
#isolationart #support #mentalhealthmatters

"Awakening", 2022 An artistic portrait exploring

"Awakening", 2022

An artistic portrait exploring the feelings of isolation and support.

Muse: @jo.beachh
MUA: @cheysspace
Asst MUA: @jervinmakeup

#michaelmatzko #identity #tellyourstory

#artisticportrait #identityart #knowthyself #isolation #isolationart #support #mentalhealthmatters

Ocean Drive, 2022 Two more images from Ocean Driv

Ocean Drive, 2022

Two more images from Ocean Drive in Newport, RI, shot over the July 4th weekend. There is something so vibrant in this area - I've seen it on beautiful warm days, cold winter storms and fully foggy days - all of them are powerful and beautiful.

#michaelmatzko #tellyourstory

#ocean #rhodeisland #mood #landscape #landscapeart #fineartphotography
#gallery #prints #galleryart #soc

Ocean Drive, 2022 I have been heavily influenced

Ocean Drive, 2022

I have been heavily influenced by the Impressionists and have been playing with how to achieve a similar look and feel straight out the camera. Whether it's a portrait, a landscape or something totally different, I always look for something which encapsulates what I am feeling at that moment.

This particular image was shot last weekend in Newport, RI. It is the same spot that I shot my favorite photo of my father, sitting on a bench looking out into the foggy distance. Clearly this place is special to me - good things always happen!

Prints will soon be available on my website.

#michaelmatzko #rhodeisland #newport #oceandrive

#identity #tellyourstory #impressionism #soc #fineartphotography #matisse #printsforsale #artgallery #curators #identityart #therapy #mood #igmood

On this holiday in the US, there are many things o

On this holiday in the US, there are many things on many people's mind. Who are we, what do we want to be, and who gets to decide. The themes have been the same throughout my life - maybe it's felt the same for those before us, I don't know. I know the questions are truly important, and the answers will probably never come. But we can rejoice in the small personal moments, the relationships we have beyond the dialogue and the perpetual hope for healing - one day and one person at a time.

@jo.beachh @ashtryagain
MUA: @cheysspace
Asst. MUA: @jervinmakeup

#michaelmatzko #identity #tellyourstory

#4thofjuly #4thofjuly2022 #personal #personalgrowth #hope #futureisnow

From the Isolation series: Exploring the loss of

From the Isolation series:

Exploring the loss of connection coupled with the innate human need to connect. The next several posts will feature the initial photos which were not selected for the final collection.

Many thanks to the talented muse @jo.beachh
Makeup: @cheysspace
Asst Makeup: @jervinmakeup

#michaelmatzko #identity #tellyourstory

#mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthsupport #mentalhealthadvocate #mentalhealthrecovery #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealth #artportraits #greyscale #artcollector #artcollector #gallery #galleryshow #gallerywall #isolation #selfexpression

Life is sloppy - and very intentional. You get 2 p

Life is sloppy - and very intentional.
You get 2 posts today!
Cincinnati Pride 2022

#michaelmatzko #tellyourstory #identity

#cincinnatipride #lbtq #lbtqia #cincinnati #cincypride

Life is sloppy - and very intentional. Cincinnati

Life is sloppy - and very intentional.

Cincinnati Pride 2022

#michaelmatzko #tellyourstory #identity

#cincinnatipride #lbtq #lbtqia #cincinnati #cincypride

I think the world is complex, in part because so m

I think the world is complex, in part because so many things are put into neat categories and boxes. In reality, it's the moments in between the stories that make the difference, that make it interesting.

What intrigues me the most isn't the celebrations which we so often capture, its the significant thoughts and personal events that drive you, that form the core of who you are. That is worth trying to capture - part of a personal journey.

Now booking Identity portraits - a few July spots are left. See the link in my bio for details.

This is part of a editorial concept series on Personal Isolation.
@jo.beachh @ashtryagain
MUA: @cheysspace
MUA Asst: @jervinmakeup

#michaelmatzko #identityart #tellyourstory

#identity #mentalhealthmatters #fineart #mentalhealth #fineartportrait #fineartportraits #mentalwellness #printsforsale #mentalhealthsupport #artmatters #artgallery #artwork #personalstory #soc #straightoutofcamera #nikon #nikonusa

Chinatown, 2022 I love the details in this one -

Chinatown, 2022

I love the details in this one - hard to see on a small screen but full of life in a large print! This is one of my favorite images from our recent NYC trip - trying to embody the culture, hustle and grind of this historical neighborhood.

When you tell the story of each person one at a time, you start to see and feel the threads in the tales - and collectively, these help painter a larger picture of what it means to be human. This spreads to community, neighborhoods, cities, regions, countries and eventually the entire world.

#tellyourstory
#michaelmatzko #identity

#chinatown #newyork #nyc #streetphotography #culture #street #streetstyle #newyorkcity #newyorklife #newyorknewyork #newyork_instagram

Texas , 2021 - from a digital photo animation as p

Texas , 2021 - from a digital photo animation as part of the Inside Out collection. Now showing in a virtual exhibition running until 6/30 (link in bio).

Most of us spend a life time understanding who we are - you could say it's a universal trait. I'm curious who you see in this photo - male, female, neither? Someone full of power or a victim?

Now booking June and July - tell your story, the human story, one person at a time.

#mentalhealth #mentalwellness #mentalhealthmatters #fineartportrait #fineartportraits #fineart #tellyourstory #identity #michaelmatzko

Inside Out - a virtual exhibit is now LIVE! https:

Inside Out - a virtual exhibit is now LIVE!
https://michaelmatzko.com/virtual-exhibit-inside-out
(link in bio)

@liu.mo

#NFT #nftcommunity #nftartist #fineart #virtualgallery #metaverse #mentalhealth #mentalhealthmatters #printsforsale #michaelmatzko #tellyourstory #identity #pandemicart

Would love for you to stop by and check out my fir

Would love for you to stop by and check out my first virtual exhibit "Inside Out". There will be over 60 works shown in an online gallery setting, with the ability to purchase prints and participate in a genesis NFT collection. 40% of the proceeds from the initial NFT sales will be donated to the Lindner Center of HOPE

#mentalhealth #mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthsupport #virtualexhibit #virtualexhibition #artmatters #fineart

The Child I've been thinking about children and c

The Child
I've been thinking about children and childhood a lot lately - sadly, in my lifetime, there has been little change on the issues which I remember embraced the tv screens of my youth. In the 70's, the conversations I remember (mostly in the form of books and actual news broadcasts) were about climate change, social injustice, power abuse, mental health, pay inequalities, rights of choice, international wars/conflicts, Russia, China, Africa and the list goes on. We had nuclear bomb drills in our schools - todays its mass shooters.

Coupled with a challenging personal childhood, I primarily coped by withdrawing, by playing music for hours and exploring outside in the woods and streams in rural NE. Those that know me well can see how this has impacted my social interactions today - both for the better and worse. Like everyone's journey, it's a work in progress.

I imagined my adult life would be very different - that we would "progress" as a country and a race. It IS different today. ... now it's the same topics, but heightened exponentially by technology and the internet.

I'm certainly not against technology- in fact I embrace it and use it as a creative force - it can also expose enormous amounts of good if you look for it. But I think of children, and how they are exposed to the world we create every day - not by a fleeting set of images once a day on tv or a book that is slowly digested, but a constant stream of opinions and negativity.

This is why I have been changing my business over the past two years to help explore and express the complexities of mental health, of our personal identities, who we are, and who we want to become.

My first virtual exhibit will start Weds evening at 6PM. In addition to the work displayed about many of the themes above, exposed during the pandemic, I will be selling a large NFT collection where the 40% of the initial sales will be donated to the
@lindnercenterofhope , a non-profit center for mental health based in Cincinnati, serving both adolescents and adults.

#virtualexhibit #fineart #mchaelmatzko #tellyourstory #identityart #igart #fineartprints #artwork #artgallery #nftcollector

Inside Out, a virtual exhibition, featuring works

Inside Out, a virtual exhibition, featuring works exploring mental health and the genesis #nft collection on @opensea opens in 4 days!

#michaelmatzko #identityart #tellyourstory #virtualexhibition #virtualexhibit #mentalhealthawareness

Save the date! I will be releasing my first Virtu

Save the date! I will be releasing my first Virtual Exhibit entitled Inside Out on June 1, 2022! This online gallery will contain a currated collection of works works created about topics inspired by the events of the last three years of the pandemic. You'll be able to explore a full gallery walkthrough and view not only digital samples of the works, but also buy prints and NFTs from a genesis collection created for the event!

This particular image was taken during a remote shoot during the lockdown in 2020 with @daniellemkey - several of those images will be featured in the exhibit.

#michaelmatzko #identity #tellyourstory

#artphotography #gallery #gallerywall #nft #nfts @opensea #virtualexhibition #virtualgallery #movement #artpieces #artcollectors #nftcollector #prints #archivalprints #printsforsale #nftsfo

Busy these days working on concepts around what I

Busy these days working on concepts around what I like to call identity art. Getting under the skin and telling your story - the real you, not just a smile. If you're tired of scrolling through the same old types of images, with little personal meaning, we should talk.

From one of my favorite portraits of @haleyk01_modeling which will be featured in my upcoming virtual exhibit.

#michaelmatzko #identityart #tellyourstory

#finartportraits #fineartportrait #meaning #personalstory #mentalhealth #beautyphotography #beautyphoto #beautyphotographer
#personalportrait #meaningfulart

Everyone has a story - its our personal connection

Everyone has a story - its our personal connection to the world. What's yours?

Now booking the few remaining creative photoshoots for June and July!

#michaelmatzko #identityart #tellyourstory

#personal #creativeart #alopecia #shareyourstruggle #makeartnotwar

Cityscapes 1-3 Cities, like people, have stories

Cityscapes 1-3

Cities, like people, have stories that transform over time. The city is both a reflection and a manifestation of all its residents, businesses, politics and religions. Having visited New York City over 4 decades, the transformation is especially remarkable - not better or worse but different. Always an inspiration.

#michaelmatzko #nyc

#newyork #cityscape #streetscape #streetscapeart #bridges #dumbo #expression #identity #cityidentity #brooklyn #manhanttan #citylife #newyorklife #NewYorkTimes #newyorknewyork #newyork_instagram

Load More Follow on Instagram

Contact Us

Please whitelist michaelmatzko.com and accept the form email. We take your privacy very seriously and never sell or spam you.