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Jonathan Gitelson
(b. 1975; resides Chicago, IL)
The Oceanographer, 2003
The Housewife, 2003
The Political Radical, 2003
Inspired by comic books but with a narrative and sequencing all their own, Jonathan Gitelson’s posters deconstruct a handshake with the same wit and detail as they investigate why shoes end up hanging from power lines. Likewise his series of single-panel pictures, Dream Job, playfully combines text and image, in this case by pairing a portrait with a section of classified ads including a dream job (composed by Gitelson) marked in red. In theme and execution both projects suggest Gitelson’s origins as a literature major steeped in the philosophy of the everyday, who crossed into photography while making artist’s books. Yet even mundane events, when treated in a fashion that borrows from the structure of storyboards, movie posters, and advertising, can begin to seem a little larger-than-life.
Jonathan Gitelson holds a BA in literature and photography from Marlboro College, Vermont (1997) and an MFA in photography from Columbia College Chicago (2004). In 2004 he was awarded a solo show at Peter Miller Gallery, Chicago; a Juror’s Award from San Diego Art Institute’s 47th Annual International Exhibition; and a CAA Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation Fellowship. Gitelson’s work is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; Museum of Modern Art, New York; and Victoria and Albert Museum, London, among other institutions.
- Kendra Greene