Sunday, July 31, 2011

CONTEXTOMY | Rick Hirtle




Contextomy refers to an style of quoting in which a passage is removed from its surrounding matter in such a way as to distort its intended meaning. In this series a similar practice has been applied by removing a subject from its surrounding in such a way as to obscure the original context. Thus everyday peculiarities become laden with mystery, comedy or even vulgarity. It’s on this basis that Rick has built a collection of images that include such varying subjects as a visa office bathroom in Hong Kong, a lone cow in a desolate stretch of the Australian outback, a handicapped person in Tokyo, an armed drunken man in China, a stray cat on a Mumbai commuter train and other pictures mashed together to present stories that are intriguing but far from obvious.

About the artist... Rick Hirtle is a professional documentary and commercial photographer from Toronto, Canada who specializes in making unrestricted images with a focus on social outsiders and human issues. He has traveled extensively around the globe in pursuit of his personal work. His photographs have appeared in countless exhibitions in Australia, Asia and North America. Most recently in the Born Into This Show presented by the Scion Automotive Corporation in Toronto, Canada. For more please visit www.rickhirtle.com