Wallace Wilson and the Victims of Paradox

About this Episode

This episode is a personal, career-spanning look at Wallace "Wally" Wilson, a photographer whose surreal, staged black-and-white work — cats, ruins, dirigibles, Victorian-costumed toddlers — Rubin encountered as a kid growing up around the University of Florida's photography department in the 1970s-80s. Wilson's own account traces his start to right after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin in 1970, when he was appointed an instructor of photography in the University of Kentucky's College of Architecture. The conversation situates his work — showcased at his "Victims of Paradox" exhibition, featuring large-format prints — against the eccentric, image-manipulating photographers of that UF era (Jerry Uelsmann, Evon Streetman, Doug Prince, Todd Walker) as well as earlier influences like Ralph Eugene Meatyard and child prodigy Jacques-Henri Lartigue. It's as much a piece of regional photographic history as it is a profile of one artist. Wilson was part of an exciting time in the history of photography, as well as being a cool example of what I would describe as "haiku photography" -- although he would never have described his work that way.

Topic outline:

Episode 141: Wallace Wilson and the Victims of Paradox — Topic Outline

Intro
- Rubin's personal connection: encountering Wilson's work as a kid around the University of Florida
- Framing Wilson as part of an influential circle of image-manipulating photographers

Wilson's biography
- Graduated University of Texas at Austin, Bachelor's degree, spring 1970
- Appointed Instructor of Photography, College of Architecture, University of Kentucky (Lexington)
- Clarifying an unclear part of his career timeline directly with the artist

The work itself
- Surreal, staged black-and-white imagery: cats, ruins, dirigibles, Victorian-costumed subjects
- "Cat and Ruins" (1984), "Victorian Toddler" (1990/92), "Stallion" (1987), "Bleak Streets" (1988)
- The "Victims of Paradox" exhibition and its large-format prints

Influences / context
- Ralph Eugene Meatyard (1963) as a touchstone for staged, uncanny imagery
- Jacques-Henri Lartigue — photographing as a child prodigy (age 11 and 16)

University of Florida photography scene, '60s-'80s
- Jerry Uelsmann — pioneering multi-negative composite printing
- Evon Streetman — Cibachrome and acrylic paint work
- Doug Prince — layered acrylic box constructions
- Todd Walker — silkscreen photographic work
- The department as a hotbed of experimental, manipulated photography

Close
- Likely wrap-up / where to find Wilson's work

Where to see the work: Instagram @walle9000