Double Take

Von Lintel Gallery is excited to announce Double Take, our fourth solo exhibition with artist Joe Rudko, which showcases a continuation of his remarkable photomontage work.

Double Take is a journey into the world of visual duality, where Rudko masterfully presents new works that take the form of diptychs wherein one side is the inverse and opposite of the other; the white spaces in these collages are the backside of the images, showing handwritten notes, dates, and branding of the paper. It is an exhibition defined by its harmonious contradictions, and it deconstructs binary oppositions while simultaneously weaving them together. The vernacular photographs used in these works have already served their original purpose, but Rudko’s work gives them a new life, bridging the past and present.

As the exhibition's title suggests, Rudko encourages viewers to engage in a double take of their own, challenging the conventional distinctions between abstract and representational art. From a distance, these works appear purely abstract, a composition of mesmerizing shapes and colors. Yet, upon closer examination, the viewer uncovers the subtle, representational elements contained within the vernacular photographs.

In a world where photography seems infinite, with images constantly captured, stored, and shared through technology, Rudko's process calls this continuum into question. By repurposing found photographs, he breathes new life into these forgotten moments, giving them renewed purpose while simultaneously challenging their traditional use.

Joe Rudko is a Seattle-based artist who received his BFA in Photography and Drawing from the Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA in 2013. His work is in numerous permanent collections, including The Getty Museum, Portland Art Museum, Tacoma Art Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and most recently the Morgan Library & Museum in New York.

For additional information or visual material please contact the gallery by email at gallery@vonlintel.com.