As Hilliard pursued this line of inquiry further,
he began experimenting with color photography
through the 1980s, which led to a repositioning of
his critique from the investigation of classic represen-
tational practices in photography to a semiotic exam-
ination of imagery in popular culture. As a result,
much of Hilliard’s work from the last two decades
presents a critical comment on the ubiquitous trans-
mission of images through commercial advertising in
newspapers, magazines, and cinema. Oftentimes, his
visual statements on the effects of mass consumerism
canbeseeninverydirectways,asfoundin‘‘East/
West, 1986.’’ In this large photowork, Hilliard pre-
sents a dynamic juxtaposition of a positive and nega-
tive version of a highly stylized profile portrait of
what appears to be a sophisticated Asian woman.
Here, the artist provokes consideration of issues of
identity, mirroring, and cultural assimilation.
Hilliard developed a rich, colorful, saturated style
during the 1990s, presenting tableaux images with
erotic and sometimes violent narratives, and glossy
surface effects which emulate or at least reference the
seductive power of advertising. For the most part,
these images remain vague, as the artist uses devices
that obstruct the full view of the subject. In ‘‘Miss
Tracy, 1994,’’ a female nude lies prone on a bloodied
sheet, but the majority view of the woman’s body is
abstracted by an opaque rectangle. Only the periph-
ery or ‘‘frame’’ of the subject remains in focus. Hil-
liard continues his experiment in the construction of
ambiguity and the manipulation of narrative means.
Formally, his presentation draws attention to the
surreal nature of photographic space—the relation-
ship between the picture plane, and the spaces before
and beyond—and to the traditional acceptance of the
transparency of a photograph.
While he has continued to produce work with a
formal vocabulary that disrupts a seamless gaze of the
subject, in more recent years Hilliard’s work has
become larger in scale, almost to the point of mural
form, through printing his photographs on canvas
and vinyl. As well as the visual impact of a larger
size, such images must also be understood as a direct
formal critique of surface. A clear example of this
strategy can be found inNocturne, 1996, an image of
an interior wall in an abandoned house, covered for
the most part with wallpaper and graffiti. Yet the
central focus of the image is blocked by a rectangle
of an enlarged, close-up detail of the decorative wall-
paper. The visual riddle ofOffence,1997,worksina
similar fashion. Here, a couple in the front seat of a
car peer through the windshield, but their view out
(and consequently the audience’s gaze in) is obstructed
by a white rectangular police sign indicating the car
has been clamped. The lighting, dress, and demeanor
of the couple suggest a distressing incident may have
occurred, and the stern police warning ‘‘Stop! Do not
attempt to move it!’’ further adds to the confused
nature of the scene. Here again, the artist has success-
fully manipulated the narrative through elements of
cropping, framing, and obstruction.
Speaking about his working practices in 1997,
Hilliard explained that his usual procedures involve
a progression through a series of rough drawings,
diagrams, and writings, in an almost cinematic or
storyboard fashion. From this collection of visual
and textual language, Hilliard then affects a rigor-
ous process of selection to arrive at a particular
photographic composition. Such strategies of assid-
uous analysis have persisted throughout his career,
and his professional success in teaching during the
last 20 years must also be recognized alongside his
credentials as an active artist with a strong exhibi-
tion record. Significant faculty positions in London,
at the Camberwell School of Art, and currently at
the Slade School of Art, further highlight his reputa-
tion. And while never automatically associated with
a particular artistic or aesthetic group, Hilliard’s
distinct formal and intellectual examination of
photography places him alongside the likes of the-
orist and photographer Victor Burgin in the history
of late twentieth-century British photography.
Sara-JayneParsons
Seealso:Burgin, Victor; Conceptual PhotographyBiography
Born in Lancaster, England, 1945; Lancaster College of
Art, 1962–1964; St. Martin’s School of Art, London,
1964–1967; travel scholarship to the United States,
1965; Northern Arts Fellow in Visual Art, Newcastle-
Upon-Tyne, 1976–1978; David Octavius Hill Memorial
Award, 1986. Teaches at the Slade School of Fine Arts;
living in London.Individual Exhibitions
1969 Camden Arts Centre, London
1970 Lisson Gallery, London
1974 Museum of Modern Art, Oxford, United Kingdom;
Galleria Toselli, Milan, Italy
1976 Galerie Hetzler & Keller, Stuttgart; Galerie Durand-
Dessert, Paris; Robert Self Gallery, Newcastle-Upon-
Tyne, United Kingdom
1977 Badischer Kunstverein, Karlsruhe, Germany; Galerie Dur-
and-Dessert, Paris; Galerie Paul Maenz, Cologne, Germany
1978 Studio Paola Betti, Milan; John Gibson Gallery, New
York; Lisson Gallery, London Laing Art Gallery, New-
castle-Upon-Tyne, United Kingdom
1979 Ikon Gallery, Birmingham; Galeria Foksal, Warsaw,
Poland; Galerie Durand-Dessert, Paris
1982 Amano Gallery, Osaka, Japan; Ryo Gallery, Kyoto,
JapanHILLIARD, JOHN