Nowhere by Ian Whitmore

Issue 14

Nowhere is an ambiguous yet ubiquitous space. It exists in our civic decorations and our commercial landscape as irresponsible and irrelevant ornamentation. These are scenes we see every day but rarely address their functional purpose or aesthetic value.

Through these photographs I am seeking answers to questions regarding the psychology of our civic landscape. I want to examine the ironic and garish nature of the spaces that surround us and understand the attenuated value of such places. By drawing the viewer into the banal I wish to confront the illusion that these environments are important or interesting.

Those long, promising paths that once led us into the horizon have been cleared and traveled endlessly. Following the rhythm of progress our civic body ceaselessly expands and as the horizon draws near, collapsing in on us, it is becoming more and more clear that we have arrived nowhere in particular.

Ian Whitmore is a Chicago, IL based artist and teacher.
To view more of Ian's work, please visit his website