Joshua Holzmann

Lives and works in Los Angeles, CA, USA

Artist statement

This ongoing body of work consists of geometric figures constructed from specimen milk cartons, each approximately 70 x 44 x 2 inches and composed of 107 individual cartons. The figures are humanoid but abstract—stunted in limb yet reaching, evoking the posture of a toddler signaling for care. Their posture and palette express emotional and spiritual yearning amid systemic erasure. Rooted in themes of double consciousness, the work investigates the psychic labor of existing between perceived and self-defined identities. As a biracial artist raised Catholic and now a practicing Jew in a predominantly askanashi community, I reflect on belonging in spaces where skin color or religious practice mark one as "other." My sense of spiritual alienation and the longing for community are interwoven with the physical forms of these figures, whose torsos carry the residue of daily life—symbolized through the humble milk carton—as both offering and trace.

Artwork

• The Urban Anchor, 2026. Spray paint on 85 lbs of acrylic house paint mixed with plastic detritus
• Contained Thought Repeated, 2025. Spray paint on 85 lbs of acrylic house paint mixed with plastic detritus.
• Masked, Reoriented and Allowed to Settle, 2026. Spray paint on 85 lbs of acrylic house paint mixed with plastic detritus.
• In This Larger Body, 2025. Spray paint on 85 lbs of acrylic house paint mixed with plastic detritus.
• A Smaller Vessel, 2025. Spray paint on 35 lbs of acrylic house paint mixed with plastic detritus
• The Quiet , 2025. Spray paint on 85 lbs of acrylic house paint mixed with plastic detritus
• The Relentless Echo that Reverberates Without Relief, 2024. Spray paint on 85 lbs of acrylic house paint mixed with plastic detritus
• Dancing with Shadows While Seeing Light in The Distance, 2025. Spray paint on 85 lbs of acrylic house paint mixed with plastic detritus
• The Delicate Balance Between Yearning for Hope and Succumbing to Despair, 2024. Spray paint on 85 lbs of acrylic house paint mixed with plastic detritus
• The Relentless Echo that Reverberates Without Relief, 2024. Spray paint on 85 lbs of acrylic house paint mixed with plastic detritus.
• Veil of Emotional Numbness and Detachment from The World, 2025. Spray paint on 85 lbs of acrylic house paint mixed with plastic detritus
• The Sensation of Falling Through Space and Time, 2024. Spray paint on 85 lbs of acrylic house paint mixed with plastic detritus
• Cracks in the Facade That Exist Beneath a Seemingly Calm Surface, 2024. Spray paint on 85 lbs of acrylic house paint mixed with plastic detritus.