American photographer Todd Hido is presenting his unsettling exploration of everyday America at the prestigious Rencontres d'Arles photography festival, where visitors can discover his unique vision through October 5th. The exhibition showcases Hido's distinctive approach to capturing the mundane and depopulated spaces across the United States, transforming ordinary scenes into something mysteriously dark and compelling.
Despite having published around twenty photography books since the early 2000s and mounting numerous celebrated exhibitions worldwide, the Ohio-born photographer remains relatively unknown to the general public. Most visitors to the Rencontres d'Arles enter Hido's photographic world without any prior knowledge of his work, making this exhibition an important introduction to his artistic vision.
Born in 1968 in the university town of Kent, Ohio, Hido grew up during a tumultuous period in American history when anti-Vietnam War protests were so violent that four students were killed by police—a tragedy immortalized in Neil Young's song "Ohio." His introduction to photography came during his teenage years through an unexpected path: BMX biking adventures on dirt tracks that he would create himself.
Hido's photographic practice involves traveling across the United States in search of banal, depopulated locations that most people would overlook. His strange and evocative images reveal an underlying darkness that lurks beneath the surface of America's ordinary landscapes and suburban environments. This approach has established him as a significant voice in contemporary American photography, documenting the country's less glamorous but deeply revealing spaces.
The Rencontres d'Arles exhibition offers visitors a comprehensive look at Hido's body of work, presenting his haunting interpretation of American normalcy. His photographs capture an unsettling quality in everyday scenes, suggesting that beneath the veneer of suburban tranquility lies something more complex and potentially troubling about contemporary American life.
