Rick Wright

Artist Statement

I grabbed a wood SOMA cube one day and started recreating famous buildings from memory. The perfect 3x3x3 cube is comprised of 7 unique 3-D pieces. Although it seemed limiting at first, I realized how malleable and expressive the blocks could be. I work with both a red-plastic set and a wood set to craft the "architecture,"…but always inhabiting the conceit of this imaginary architect (who never built a single building). The “structures,” once crafted, are lit with strobe and photographed with a 4x5 studio view camera. Film is developed and scanned, and an algorithm finds the edges and primary forms in the photograph. These lines and textures are then fused to the original photo with the addition of blue color, conjuring an architectural blueprint. Humor, of course.

Artist Bio

Rick Wright initially trained as an oil painter at Princeton (BA) and Columbia University (MFA), before embracing photography with studies at The ICP in New York. While there, he studied with: Nan Goldin, Susan Meiselas, Danny Lyon, and John Loengard. He currently practices architectural photography, shoots 4x5 film landscapes, and hosts photography seminars and critiques at The Halide Project & Fleisher Art Memorial. He’s kept a photo studio in Philadelphia for the past 23 years.

Takeshi Tower Tokyo, 2025