Matt Tuteur

Born in Chicago in 1981, I began taking photographs in 1995 with a 35mm camera. Soon after, I became overwhelmed with an interest in photographing Chicago’s street art. From 1995-2000, I acquired over 100,000 photos that documented urban art in Chicago during the late 20^th century. In spending countless hours on the streets of Chicago searching for urban art, I gained an interest in photographing street subjects/social happenings in and around our city. From headline news, to neighborhood events and crime, to anything I feel represents Chicago through the times where living in, I have worked tirelessly throughout the years to photograph and document all aspects of Chicago’s rich cultural heritage.

Although lot of my work over the years has dealt with people/street subjects, my true photographic interest has revolved around the documentation of Chicago’s historical yet endangered structures. Nine or so years ago I started to see Chicago’s gentrification process/problem begin to level historically significant structures in and around my neighborhood. I was watching Chicago’s history being squandered on a daily basis. I felt overwhelmed with a personal obligation to photograph and preserve Chicago’s adored yet endangered buildings. Working digitally, with natural light, I have photographed the interiors of several hundred Chicagoland locations over the years. By composing images completely at the time of exposure, without later manipulating the photo with digital applications, I extract images that expose to the viewer an almost firsthand look into a no longer existent structure. This specific photo interest has been a long and interesting endeavor. It has engrossed my life and has thrust me deep inside some of Chicago’s most eerily beautiful abandoned/slated for demolition structures on a weekly basis. I have risked my life on countless occasions in the pursuit of extracting pertinent images from Chicago’s historical structures. Partaking in something bigger than myself, I feel humbled by the success ive had in aggressively pursuing our forgotten yet adored buildings.

I feel very strongly about the importance of this specific body of work. These photographs are truly one of a kind. They painfully showcase architectural changes in Chicago over the last decade and strive to evoke awareness towards Cook County’s architectural squanders. My photographs uniquely depict Chicago’s architecture of “Yesteryear” and exist to remind Chicagoans of our unique past, present and future.

For other examples, please visit http://matttuteur.wordpress.com or http://uptownzombielove.blogspot.com or http://mtuteursologalleryexhibitions.blogspot.com