Rooted in an exploration of class dynamics, environmentalism, and the echoes of America's industrial past, my photography takes a closer look at how economic globalization has left its mark on former industrial cities, small towns, and rural regions across the America.
I operate within the same tradition as many documentary photographers who have preceded me. Photographers like Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange, and Eugene Smith have significantly shaped my approach to socially-concerned documentary photography, and my understanding of the possibilities of cultural and political change through the medium of photography.
My background studying American history and literature, dictates my artistic practice and has imbued me with a sense of historical inquiry. I aim to capture the essence of America's de-industrialization, framing the now seemingly overlooked corners that were once the vibrant heart of the nation, now faded, but not forgotten. My artistic practice sees me return to specific regions, cities, and towns year after year. With each revisit, I deepen my understanding of the place, forge new connections, and uncover fragments of its history, allowing me to create photographs that go beyond surface-level sketches.
My photographs deal with desperation and hardship, intertwined with resilience and beauty. Employing only available light, often during sunrise and sunset, I try and create work that exudes an ethereal quality. The nature of this light mirrors my own understanding of photography—a transient experience, an attempt to hold onto and preserve fleeting moments. Whether capturing a portrait of a young man in front of his apartment or an empty storefront on Main Street, I approach both with the same care and attention, with an understanding that each moment is unique as is each photograph.
I invite viewers to contemplate the spaces we've constructed, inhabited and abandoned, urging them to confront the echoes of our cultural past and the pressing issues of our present. In this visual exploration of America, I seek not only to capture the tangible remains of a bygone era but also to evoke a deeper reflection on the ever-evolving tapestry of American life.
Matthew Ludak is a documentary photographer and photojournalist focusing on long-term projects about economic disparity, de-industrialization, and environmentalism in the United States.
Published and exhibited internationally, in 2021 Ludak received an Artist Fellowship from New Jersey State Council on the Arts. In 2022 his work was shown in the Wisconsin Biennial at the Museum of Wisconsin Art and the Soho Photo Gallery in New York City. In 2022 he had his first solo and international exhibition in Braga, Portugal, as part of their annual Photography and Visual Arts Festival. In 2022 Ludak was invited to attend the prestigious Eddie Adam’s workshop in Calicoon, New York where he received the National Geographic award for his work.
In 2024 Ludak was included in GUP Magazines FRESH EYES International 2024 Talent, as well as receiving an Award of Excellence from the Alexia Foundation for his project Nothing Gold Can Stay. In the fall of 2024 Ludak had a solo show at the Elliot Gallery in Amsterdam as well as having his work included in the 2024 Head On Photo Festival in Sydney, Australia.
His editorial work has been featured in The Washington Post, Bloomberg, The Economist, TIME, Yahoo News, CNN, and NBC News.
Ludak holds a BA in History and English from Drew University, a Certificate in Documentary Studies from the International Center for Photography, and an MFA in Studio Art from the University of Wisconsin - Madison.
2024
MFA, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI
2021
Documentary Practice and Visual Journalism, International Center of Photography, NYC
2019
BA, Drew University, Madison, NJ
2024
Critical Mass Top 200, Photo Lucida
Puffin Foundation Grant for Photography
Lenscratch Student Prize 2024: Top 25 to Watch
2024 The Alexia Vision Grant - Student (Award of Excellence)
FRESH EYES International 2024 Talent, Documentary/Street Photography, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Temkin Exhibition Award, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
2024 Graduate Student Creative Arts Award - University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
2023/2024
Graduate School Fellowship - University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
2023
“Shortlisted” International Photography Exhibition 165, The Royal Photographic Society, Bristol, UK
“Shortlisted” Belfast Photo Festival, Belfast, Northern Ireland
International Photography Awards “Official Selection”
Lyman S.V. Judson and Ellen Mackechnie Judson Graduate Student Award in the Creative Arts, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
2022
National Geographic Award, Eddie Adams Workshop XXXV, Jeffersonville, NY
Eddie Adams Workshop XXXV, Jeffersonville, NY
Glenn R. Allen Graduate Student Grant, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Lucie Foundation Finalist, Architecture/Landscape
AI-AP, American Photography 38
2021
New Jersey State Council on the Arts Individual Fellowship in Art
2020
George Moss Scholarship, International Center of Photography (ICP), Manhattan, NY
Director’s Fellowship, International Center of Photography (ICP), Manhattan, NY
2018
The Peggi Howard Grant for research in the Humanities, Drew University, Madison, NJ
2017
The Dean Cucchi Grant for research in the Humanities, Drew University, Madison, NJ
2022 - 2023
Instructor of Record, ART 176: Digital Photography for Non-Art Majors
Fall and Spring, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
Two 150 minute sections taught weekly, 30 students per semester. Introduction to the theory and practice of digital photography. Emphasis on creative development along with technical skill building.
2022
Darkroom and Digital Printing Lab Technician
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
2021 - 2022
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
Instructor of Record, ART 102: Two Dimensional Design
Fall and Spring Semesters, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
Two 150 minute sections taught weekly, 30 students per semester. Provides an introduction to the fundamentals of two-dimensional design. Emphasis on principles of design and manipulate those using analog and digital processes.
Proficient in teaching and using Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Bridge and Adobe Illustrator, as well as large scale digital printing on both Epson and Canon printers.
Experience with acting as an academic advisor, mentor, and faulty liaison for college academic and sports clubs.
5 + years of tutoring and mentoring refugee and newcomer youth in both academics and athletics through NGOs.
2024
Nothing Gold Can Stay, Elliot Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Nothing Gold Can Stay, MFA Thesis Exhibition, Art Lofts Gallery, Madison, WI
2023
The Last Resort, MFA Qualifier Exhibition, Art Lofts Gallery, Madison, WI
2022
Finalist Discovery Awards 2022, Encontros da Imagem/International Photography and Visual Arts Festival, Braga, Portugal
Jurors: Cindy Sissokho, Claartje van Dijk, Hideko Kataoka, Jon Uriarte, Carlos Fontes.
2024
Photo Marseille 2024, Prix Maison Blanche 2024, Marseille, France
Jurors: Fabienne Pavia, Valentine Demry, Andrea Graziosi, Christophe Asso
Head On Photo Festival 2024, Sydney, Australia
The Photo Review 2024, Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, PA
Second Prize Recipient, Juror: Joel Smith
2023
TMA Contemporary, Trout Museum of Art, Appleton, WI
Juror: Christina Turner
2022
National Competition 2022, Soho Photo Gallery, New York City, NY
Juror: Mercedes Jelinek
Juror’s Award. Lens 2022, Perspective Gallery, Evanston, IL
Juror: Karen Irvine
Wisconsin Artists Biennial, Museum of Wisconsin Art, West Bend, WI
Jurors: Dan Gun, Phyllis McGibbon, John Salminen
Forgotten, The SE Center for Photography, Greenville, SC
Juror: Alexa Dillworth
2020
Phillips Mill Photographic Exhibition, Stockton, NJ
Juror: Emmet Gowin
The Connected World, The Los Angeles Center of Photography, Los Angeles, CA
Jurors: Sam Abell, Julia Dean, Mitch Dobrowner, Deborah Klochko, Matthew Rolston, Joel Sartore, John Simmons
Gold Award. San Francisco Bay International Photo Awards.
Jurors: Julia Dean, David Garnick, Hamidah Glasgow, Michael Itkoff, Molly Newgard, Laura Sackett.
Decay, Corrosion, Rust, New York Center for Photographic Art, New York, NY
2nd Prize Recipient, Juror: Darren Ching
New Photography II, Academy Art Museum, Easton, MD
Juror: Phillip Brookman
2024
The Economist - Rural white voters in Wisconsin could decide America’s election
The Washington Post - Federal dollars to increase bird flu testing for dairy cows, farm workers
2023
The Washington Post - ‘It’s just talk’: Iowans touched by fentanyl call out presidential candidates on rhetoric
The Washington Post - A child-care center lost its funding. Here’s what happened next.
The Washington Post - Underpaid child-care workers seize on pandemic lesson: America needs them
Bloomberg - One Nassau County Has a Housing Crisis, the Other Nassau County Has a Solution
The Washington Post - Long-covid symptoms are less common now than earlier in the pandemic
2020 - Present
Independent documentary and editorial photographer
Selected clients and publications The Washington Post, TIME, The Economist, CBS News, Bloomberg, Fox Business, The Nation, Intuit
2018 - 2019
Studio Assistant - Danny Clinch Photography, New York City, NY
2023
Visiting Artist - Edgewood College Madison, Wisconsin.
2020
B&H Event Space. Pandemic Portraits: An Intimate Look at the Age of Social Distancing.
