Justin A. Carney is an artist and educator that uses autobiographical photography to question how death and grief affect familial connections—the bonds that keep a family together and cause them to separate, and how grief shapes an individual. Much of Carney’s artistic practice deals with confronting and exposing grief surrounding death to create an avenue for not only himself but also for others to find healing and cope with the deaths in their lives.
Carney is originally from Baltimore, Maryland, and currently teaches at Herron School of Art & Design at Indiana University Indianapolis. He received an MFA in Studio Art with a concentration in Photography from Indiana University Bloomington, and a BFA in Photography from Pennsylvania College of Art & Design. He is the recipient of the Beckmann Emerging Artist Fellowship (2024) from the Indy Arts Council, Indianapolis, IN; First Place Single Image Award from LensCulture Art Photography Awards 2023; and the 2022 Emerging Artist Grant from the Bloomington Arts Commission, Bloomington, IN. His work has been exhibited in venues both nationally and internationally including Aurora PhotoCenter, Indianapolis, IN; Candela Gallery, Richmond, VA; Colorado Photographic Arts Center, Denver, CO; Manifest Gallery, Cincinnati, OH; Photo London, London, UK; Open Doors Gallery, London, UK; Incadaqués Festival, Catalonia, Spain; and Exposure Photo Festival, Alberta, Canada.