Matthew Hollis, Kate, Archival Inkjet Print, 11 x 17 in, 2020
Artist Bio:
Chicago-based photographer, Matthew Gregory Hollis, has been working in photography for almost thirty years. Matthew received his bachelor's degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and left Ohio in 2000 to get his master's in Studio Arts from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He is currently a freelance photographer for multiple dance and theatre companies from around the city. In his personal work, Matthew merges his love of portraiture with his appreciation for minimalism – not as theory but as a practice. He often avoids the use of professional lighting, opting instead for more playful and creative tools to create a more dynamic portraiture.
Artwork Statement:
I don't like to plan photo shoots. Often, models ask me, "What do you have in mind". I always want to say, "Nothing". The more I plan, the less likely I am to deviate from the plan or recover when the plan falls apart because of unforeseen situations. I've organized everything I do photographically, around this one principle of flexibility and spontaneity.
Recently, I began a series titled "The Flashlight Project". In this series I use handheld flashlights as my sole source of light. Projecting the light through common objects such as wine bottles, pasta strainers, forks, anything that I have on hand. The result is a sometimes ridiculous, sometimes dramatic effect on the models.