Joachim Hildebrand studied Fine Art Photography in Madrid amongst Elger Esser and Martin Parr, amongst others. Having exhibited internationally, his latest series saw the artist travel through the seven states of the American Southwest, taking a visual journey through myth and reality. Images from The Wild West, published by Kehrer Verlag, evoke clichés and stereotypes.
Where the wilderness has been displaced by civilization, Hildebrand discovers entirely different scenes than those generally associated with the American frontier. Looking at blurred contours, contradictions, borders and transitions, he deconstructs iconographies from contemporary Americana.
A clean blue sky provides an idealistic backdrop to the otherwise unsettling images; drawing upon the notion of displacement and relocation, the icons of the dreamed Americana become passing treasure troves for the imagination.
Credits:
1. All images from Wild West. Courtesy of Joachim Hildebrand and Kehrer Verlag.
