Scott Fortino, Untitled (McCormick House), 2018
Archival pigment print
17 x 11 in.
Printing services donated by DOCUMENT

Scott Fortino (b. 1952) is a photographer who developed his approach to photography out of experiences directly related to his 31 years as a Chicago police officer. While on the job he was constantly discovering places to revisit with his camera and his occupation afforded him the opportunity to photograph in places that are not publicly accessible. His primary subjects are crisply linear depictions of architecture which are concurrently devoid of humanity yet contain reminders of its presence. Interiors and exteriors are often illustrated simultaneously by appropriating the transparent but reflective property of windows, resulting in a layered but flattened composition.

Fortino's works of reflections explore the invisible boundary between the domestic and outdoor in glass houses. This image shows reflections inside and outside EAM's McCormick House. It features the large tree in Wilder Park along with the recent exhibition IN THIS HOUSE. A new series of his work will be featured at the Elmhurst Art Museum's summer exhibition Mies's McCormick House Revealed: New Views curated by Barry Bergdoll.

Fortino completed his BA from Columbia College Chicago (1980) and an MFA in Photography from the University of Illinois at Chicago (2001). How works were exhibited throughout Chicago, including at the Museum of Contemporary Photography, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Chicago Architecture Biennial at the Cultural Center. He also has published the monograph Institutional (2005). His work is held in the collections of the Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, Massachusetts; Art Institute of Chicago; Block Museum, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, and the Milwaukee Art Museum.