ONWARD Compé

Since the inception of ONWARD Compé a half decade ago, we have always made it a point to invite photographers and figures in the photography world who have a larger vision to come judge the competition. This year we continue the tradition by inviting photographer Todd Hido to judge the ONWARD Compé ’12.

Having over 30 solo exhibitions, being featured in high profile magazines like Artforum and Vanity Fair, and having his work in collections at the Whitney Museum of American Art and Los Angeles County Museum of Art certainly makes Hido fit for the job of culling through thousands of submitted photographs from emerging photographers from around the globe. In having published over one dozen books of his own work, he’s no stranger to creating an edit that evokes a specific feeling or thought in the viewer, and we’re confident he’ll do the same with the ONWARD Compé ’12 selections.

Todd Hido’s photography largely includes a personal element whether he’s touching upon his own memories, places he has (or hasn’t) lived, or a connection he feels with a certain moment or setting. Knowing about his upbringing in the Midwestern town of Kent, Ohio might inform the viewer about the themes of isolation throughout Hido’s canon, however this background information is far from essential in becoming familiar with his work.

Upon first glance at Hido’s elegiacally wistful photographs, one might guess that these photos were made alone, and he admits that 99% of the time, that’s the case. What’s more important, is this solitary image-making is also reflected in the image itself. In his series “Houses At Night” Hido primarily focuses on houses with interior lights on, but one can’t help but think that the people inside are lonesome, or that the houses are empty altogether. To capture these sequestered realities he relies on his own instinct and gall, rather than asking for permission from a homeowner before making the photograph. “I just do it,” he says.

While Hido’s photographs of landscapes taken through windshields in “A Road Divided” and his “Houses At Night” are almost purely untouched by any directorial hand, his portraits of mysterious women inside dimly-lit and sparsely-furnished interiors from “Between The Two” are quite the opposite. Here, Hido hires models to aid in his expression of longing and abandonment, but with the human form intact and that same narrative that strings together his entire photographic output.

We’re very excited to see your submissions and Todd’s selections and couldn’t be more elated to have him be an integral part of the newest installment of ONWARD Compé. You can read two excellent interviews with Todd by two of our media sponsors Ahorn Magazine and SeeSaw Magazine.