J Wales grew up on Long Island in a humble home with the bare essentials, never traveling more than 30 miles from his home. At nine years old J was given a camera. He shot one roll of film through it, and his father took it away because the family couldn’t afford film.

In 1989, after decades of building his professional business career, J Wales flew to Turkiye with two film cameras with the intent of becoming a photojournalist. Traveling across the country over several weeks, J gathered back pieces of himself that he had lost over years of denying his own creative passion. He discovered communities like him who knew hardship and how little one truly needs to live a vibrant life of color and meaning. He found the butcher, the priest, and the families all had pride in their roles in life because their culture wasn’t attached to materiality and commerce. J understood.

Upon his return from Turkiye, his personal and professional life was over as he knew it, and the negatives were forced into storage for thirty years and forgotten, until the release of his recent monograph Turkiye in June 2021.

J’s Turkiye series is now offered as a signed first edition monograph by Brilliant in Exton, Pennsylvania and produced by dePAOLA Pictures. The monograph features printed cloth covers and foil stamping masterfully crafted by the Brilliant team who has recently completed projects with the likes of Sally Mann, Mark Seliger, and others. Turkiye was exhibited with the ICP in in New York City and will be traveling on to select cities worldwide in 2022. 

J’s artist studio is in the heart of midtown Manhattan. Collectors are encouraged to make a private viewing appointment to view available acquisitions with the artist by emailing studio@jwalesart.com