Phil Toledano

11/06

Born in 1968, Phil Toledano lives and works in New York City.
His projects start with a specific idea and concept (a direct influence of his experience and expertise that was garnered working amid the advertising industry). Images are conceived like unfinished sentences, prompting the viewer to reflect upon the theatrical nature of everyday life, and in doing so questioning the what, the where, the how, etc.
Throughout "The Other Side of America", Toledano spotlights the soul of a country, an environment in which heartbeats echo alongside the rhythm of machine guns. Provoking poetic renditions of the void, he captures rare settings some of which we no longer choose to acknowledge (i.e: solitude as a result of common violence).
Reflecting the diversity and contrast of his work are his choice of settings which range from a Firearms festival in Kentucky to a George Bush sculpture displayed in North Dakota and a car-eating dinosaur named Robosaurus in Georgia. Each location and subject matter underlines the physical magnitude and destructive nature of American society and its entertainment value. In short, violence blended with politics has become a laughing matter.
Phil Toledano's first book « Bankrupt. Photographs of recently vacated offices » was first published in 2004 by Twin Palms Editions. check his website at: www.ptoledano.com