Joseph Webb, a student at Pacific Northwest College of Art, is filling PSU’s White Gallery in some really big ways.
His exhibition Sight Beyond Vision consists of six 44 by 45 inch pieces that focus on the details of ordinary items. The images are tweaked to reveal an alternative perspective—one that demands attention.
“This is the first time we’ve had something this size,” said exhibit co-producer Chloe Womack. “It’s a double-take of reality.”
The enormous glossy prints are examinations of everyday objects through different lenses.
“I edit and manipulate images to make a reality more telling than the most technically accurate rendering can provide,” Webb said in his artist statement.
Webb takes the viewer on a journey through saturated photos of random entities, from smashed strawberries to shredded paper to a hamburger. Each piece portrays a different texture and form and is rendered in exquisite detail, producing the illusion that the object is physically in front of you.
“The photos are hyperrealism meeting abstractions that exult the mundane,” Womack said. “The images are very visceral. They make you question if they’re photographs because of how manipulated they are.”
The strawberry piece is large enough that the viewer can see every single strawberry seed, the discoloration and bruising, the bubbles between the creases of the fruit.
“The image is so detailed you might feel as though you can taste and feel the strawberry,” Womack said.
Webb’s work will be featured at the student-run White Gallery, located in the Smith Memorial Student Union through Oct. 26. The opening reception will be held today from 5–7 p.m.
“Our main goal is that students will come out and check out the art,” said gallery Executive Director Cassy Whitaker. “It’s like a meet-and-greet. We want the community to have the ability to speak to each other and exchange concepts.”