15th Street Studio

Gallery Artists

David Winkler

"I was in law enforcement for thirty-eight years; thirty-five of those years I worked in Los Angeles; twenty-four of which were spent as a detective investigating violent crime and civil rights violations.

During my career in law enforcement I personally attended rallies by the Black Panthers, speeches by Dick Gregory and the Berrigan brothers, demonstrated against the Viet Nam war, worked for Cesar Chavez and the farm labor movement, volunteered in a half-way house for troubled youth and, for twelve years, was a counselor and trainer with the Suicide Prevention Center. All of this to the dismay and anger of my superiors and to the detriment of my career.

Currently, I work for the Colorado Innocence Project which is an organization that provides legal and investigative assistance to inmates who claim to be wrongfully imprisoned.

Most of my time as a detective was spent with violent people and their victims. I've always been fascinated with the violent disruptions and dissonances in life, as well as by the consequences they produce.

My aim, in part, is to record these moments. As my intention is not to ridicule or demean, but to depict the incongruities of life, I regard nothing out of bounds. I find it difficult to photographically record what interests me because, often, the events are so transitory and elusive.

My photographic and self exploration continues."

David Winkler