Rebstock Design

The Antithesis

A few weeks ago I went to a gallery opening for one of my favorite local artists, photographer Todd Hido (pronounced “high-doe”). I discovered his work four or five years ago, and I’ve followed his career closely ever since. What first got me so excited was his collection of photographs of interior spaces. Many of the images are of small, empty rooms in foreclosed suburban homes—rooms for eating, sleeping, and watching TV, rooms once lived in and decorated and rearranged. But now entirely empty—almost. What makes these images so compelling is the stories they tell—or the stories they inspire me to tell myself. Stories about the dwellers, what their lives were like, the dreams and hopes they had while living there, and what may have made them leave. Where they might have gone.

Here’s how to follow my footsteps into Hido’s world*: www.toddhido.com > photographs > interiors. Go there and look, and see what stories the images tell you.

Hido’s latest work takes him outdoors, into landscapes as desolate but complex as his interiors. Most of these images are of country roads on rainy days, shot right through the windshield of Hido’s car. Driving somewhere, or nowhere at all. These works can be found online at the Web site of the Stephen Wirtz gallery, but if you have the opportunity, it’s worth the trip to see them up close.

*I would post some examples, but want to respect the artist’s copyright, of course.