Christopher Williams creates photographs that mimic high-end commercial advertising, industrial cataloging, and architectural photography, working with professional studios and technicians to produce a flawless, slick aesthetic. The artist then embeds subtle anomalies—a surface flaw or odd angle—into these seemingly perfect images to unsettle the viewer.
Williams extends this approach to his High Line billboard entitled MODEL (High Line Billboard, 18th Street and 10th Avenue, New York, 10011), centered around the word “MODEL.” The term not only denotes a fashion model or mockup, but also a system of instruction or control—as in “model city.” Based on an object from his enamel-on-glass series, Williams’ billboard appears industrial yet reveals a handmade brushstroke quality upon closer inspection. It also evokes the woodchip texture of Rauhfaser wallpaper, synonymous with 20th-century European working-class interiors. Juxtaposed against the luxury towers surrounding the High Line, the billboard forces a direct confrontation with modern real estate speculators and developers, asking: whose “model city” are we actually building?
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