David Hilliard (American, b.1964)
Norm’s Birthday, 2001
Four panel Chromogenic print
40″ x 120″
Gift of John Andrew MacMahon, Class of 1995
David Hilliard is known for his multi-panel panoramic photographs, where each image offers a new perspective of the narrative being told. Unlike single photographs, this style allows the artist to direct the viewers’ eyes to the smallest details across the panorama. Inspired by his own experiences, Hilliard’s work is autobiographical but also involves elements of fiction. He explores evocative and complex themes such as sexuality, gender, and age, which are both personal and universal.
Norm’s Birthday (2001) depicts a realistic scene of intimacy. The title and lit candle in the first panel suggests there is something to be celebrated, but the scene says differently. The photographer uses physical distance to symbolize the emotional distance between his subjects and often the viewer. Between the man and woman, there is an additional panel that suggests an emotional disconnect between the two subjects. Furthermore, viewers are positioned physically closer to the female subject in the last image, which implies she is someone with whom we may identify. The woman covers her breasts and sits angled away from the man. This piece speaks to the sexual shame and objectification experienced by women in today’s society. Looming at the doorway with his ever-present male gaze, the man is depicted as predatory. This “celebration” appears to be more obligatory than actually desired. Whether real or fictional, Hilliard’s work aims to expose the emotional Truth within these deeply stigmatized themes.
Today, Hilliard is based in Boston, Massachusetts. The artist received his BFA from Massachusetts College of Art and MFA from Yale University in 1992 and 1994, respectively. While he has continued his photography, Hilliard has also been a visiting professor and guest lecturer at several universities including Harvard University, Fashion Institute of Technology, and California State University.
Michaela Gibbons ’22