Christopher Kojzar
Christopher Kojzar received his B.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University and his M.F.A. in Intermedia and Digital Arts from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. A list of residencies includes La Napoule Foundation, Creative Alliance, Crosstown Arts, and the Santa Fe Art Institute. He just recently returned from France where, before the global COVID pandemic, he implemented his practice in the streets of Paris and led drawing workshops for the Agency of Artists in Exile.
Christopher researches and creates art in response to interactions he has with other people when he enters active public spaces and openly engages in artistic practices such as drawing or recording with wearable technology. Prompted by interactions with law enforcement, bystanders and the spaces themselves, his work explores the troubled phenomenon of observing and being observed in an era of escalating surveillance and mistrust—complicating it further by signaling his identity as a Black man.
It wasn’t until a year into his practice that he figured out that surveillance guidelines of the “see something, say something” campaign deems sketching in public as a suspicious activity. The perpetuation of racism, fear, and gender norms stood out in many of his experiences, yet in equal measure, the artist considers how drawing can be a form of cultural diplomacy, using it as a mechanism to advocate for trust and amity within public space amid sweeping revisions to security laws in urban environments.
His website features drawing, video installation, publication, and performance collaboration.
Residency/Fellowship
Truth & Reconciliation 2018/2019
Website
Location
Elliot City, MD USA
© Santa Fe Art Institute / Santa Fe, New Mexico / 
