ICP Teen Academy

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Chester Borrok



In a world that is so interconnected, and subsequently complex, our culture’s focus often falls on massive, global issues from elections, to war, climate change, and social unrest. While these topics are undoubtedly important in my work, I seek to capture the conflicted nature of the world on a smaller scale in day-to-day life. Observing juxtapositions everywhere—using my friends, family, and immediate surroundings as a medium—I highlight the absurdity and meaning that can be found within even the most banal, common, and seemingly inconsequential aspects of life. A rat trap is covered in snow in the back of a pickup truck, a bike is covered in peeling pink paint revealing blue underneath, a pomegranate and a box of matches sit on a table outside; by documenting and exploring the ordinary, I capture things that anyone could see, inviting the viewer to think more deeply about what they might observe in their daily life.
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Chester Borrok is a multidisciplinary artist born, raised, and based in New York City. From a young age, his artistic practice has been fueled, influenced, and supported by his father, a photographer, and his mother, a fashion designer. Chester began taking drum lessons in 2012, later becoming interested in graphic design and digital art, inspiring him to apply to and enroll in the High School of Art and Design. It was not until 2022—when he bought a used Pentax analog camera and began taking photographs—that he truly fell in love with making art. Although Chester’s artistic practice centers on photography, it has come to include video, painting, music, sculpture, and illustration. He is currently a student in the International Center of Photography’s Teen Academy Imagemakers program. He has been featured in six issues of Pix magazine by Spotz. He hopes to attend college for fine art, photography, or design.