My interest as a photo-based artist is in cityscapes with human presence. Themes of memory, the passage of time, nostalgia, voyeurism and observations on how people move through public space form the basis of my artistic production.
Depicting these themes in various parts of the world demonstrates the universality of the experience. The human chaos and striking beauty of urban landscapes and how we inhabit them is of endless visual intrigue to me. By adding a subtle amount of manipulation to the photographs, specifically by combining several scenes and overlaying them to create one image comprising several moments, the experience of the single documentary instant is multiplied, amplifying the viewer's feeling of being in that place at that time.
Shelley Wildeman is an exhibiting artist living in Toronto. Educated as a graphic designer, she brings this graphic sense to her photographic art through strong line and bold composition. Since 2003, Wildeman has been a member of Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography, a non-profit artist-run centre. Her work has been exhibited in Canada and the U.S. and acquired by a number of private collections in Canada. (scroll down for more information)
Solo Exhibitions
September 2008, Gallery 44 members wall – Presence
May 2008, Urbanscapes Gallery – Presence (as part of Contact Photography Festival)
March 2005, Gallery 44 members wall – Organics (Night & Day)
Selected Group Exhibits
May 2011, The Gladstone Hotel – Exposed (as part of Contact Photography Festival)
curated by Britt Welter-Nolan and David Brown
May 2010, The Gladstone Hotel – Exposed (as part of Contact Photography Festival)
curated by Christina Zeidler and David Brown
April 2010, Gallery 1313 – 5th Annual Revelry Art Auction
May 2008, Toronto Transit Commission – Contacting Toronto: Memories for the City
(Slide show on subway platform monitors as part of Contact Photography Festival)
May 2007, Gallery 1313 – Re: Constructed (as part of Contact Photography Festival)
September 2005, Kenan Center House Gallery, Lockport, N.Y. – Crossing Borders
May 2005, Gallery 1313 – Consequences (as part of Contact Photography Festival)
May 2004, Gallery 1313 – photopolis (as part of Contact Photography Festival)
Pubicity
Winter 2010, full article in PhotoEd magazine, "Overlays", by Lara Wheeler download pdf
Related Experience
Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography member since 2003
Professional Graphic Designer
Education
Ryerson University Continuing Education – photographic studies, 2002 to 2007
George Brown College, Toronto – Graduate, Graphic Design Program
©2011 Shelley Wildeman | Website Design: Shelley Wildeman