Colton Rothwell

The pieces I have selected for this exhibition showcase my exploration of techniques, materials, and media during my time at the University of Montana. The past six months have been a time of self-reflection upon who I was, who I am becoming, and what being a man means to me. The liminal space between boyhood and manhood is confusing, and I am only beginning to piece together what I’ve learned, what I’d like to forget, and how I see the world. 

This experimentation with form and material is the result of longing for a more intimate and tactile way to engage with photographs. My previous work has been attached to a journalistic sensibility, with descriptive images working together to tell stories. However, in this body of work, I took a more physical approach. I bent, cut, and welded steel and stitched baling twine into canvas, all of which require physical stamina. In an effort to avert over-exposures, my process also required me to quickly transfer large cyanotypes from being exposed in sunlight to an indoor tray of water for development. Throughout all of this labor, I was able to reflect on how my choices in both media and process were linked to the content. 

All of the young men I photographed for this work were people who I trusted, who trusted me, and have shown me an admirable expression of masculinity throughout the past five years. The time, material, and attention to detail create a sense of reverence for my subjects, while still speaking to a complex and often unfinished growth that comes with finding oneself in a world of binary gender constructions.