Much of what occurs within Grant Mudford’s work relates to something beyond physical borders. The buildings, cities, and landscapes - these territories we live in and move through, and each with a presence and rhythm all its own - become arrangements that, through Mudford’s keen eye, approach a representation that is less a record of a preexisting place and more a reference to a new experience altogether. 

These playful, expertly crafted architectural images are recast from spaces, structures, and surfaces of formal elements into visual works of poetry. These images move beyond documentation; inviting the viewer to engage in the meticulous observation of both pedigreed and uncelebrated structures, and open the door for us to experience what Walt Whitman meant when he said, “I do not doubt interiors have their interiors, and exteriors have their exteriors, and that the eyesight has another eyesight….”

Since the mid-1960s, Grant Mudford has investigated the urban landscape in photographs known for their clarity, conceptual acumen, and sly humor. After studying architecture at the University of New South Wales, the Australian-born artist established himself as a cogent observer of Sydney and London’s social and architectural scenes. With his move to Los Angeles in the mid-1970s, he found his ideal subject in a city founded on quirky details, anxious expediency, and stylistic incongruence.

Mudford, who studied architecture at the University of New South Wales, creates photographs that are rich experiences guided by the careful framing of his architectural subjects. In these thoughtfully crafted works, formations are selected, reimagined, and sometimes obscured. ‘The Recast Landscape’ brings together a selection of photographs from the last 40 years of Mudford’s career, showcasing his masterful use of light and composition. From the most aspirational to the most utilitarian building, we are shown through structure and shadow, perspective and relationship, that nothing has ever stayed; and from this, a sense of privileged witness. 

In April of this year, Grant Mudford was the honored recipient of the Julius Shulman Institute Excellence in Photography Award. In addition to the award, a companion exhibition was presented at Woodbury University Hollywood Gallery.