Download Exhibition Brochure

DOCUMENT is pleased to present A Variety Show, a solo exhibition of new work by Chicago based artist Scott Fortino.

A Variety Show is a selection of eight new color photographs that have emerged out of the artists’ recent shift towards a studio practice. Fortino’s previous work primarily consisted of traditional documentary images which stem from his interest in the military, training academies, and eventually camouflage fabrics worn by soldiers. Fortino’s interests recently have led him to adjust focus to the subject’s materiality. Bringing these materials into his studio he constructs screens and blinds that explore the idea of synthetic concealment. With this new interest in fabricating these environments he started including glass, colored paper and metallic surfaces in his new abstract works.

Fortino has developed his approach to photography out of his experiences directly related to his position as a Chicago police officer. This work led to the publication of his monograph, Institutional, which depicts institutional architectural spaces while revealing the embedded evidence of personal use. Now retired, he uses his studio as a site for his own investigations into the meaning of light and materials.

Scott Fortino (b. 1952, Chicago, IL) lives and works in Chicago, Illinois. He received his BA from Columbia College Chicago, and an MFA from the University of Illinois at Chicago. His solo exhibitions include, Devening Projects + Editions, Chicago, IL; The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL; and The Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, IL. His work is in the collections of The Art Institute of Chicago, Milwaukee Art Museum, Worcester Art Museum, The Museum of Contemporary Photography, and numerous public and private collections.