Photorealism

PDX Contemporary Art presents Photorealism, an exhibition on view from November 4 to 28, 2026, exploring how photorealism is being redefined in an era when photographs can be fragmented, manipulated, and digitally generated. Bringing together works that combine photographic imagery with traditional artistic techniques, the exhibition questions the relationship between photographic representation and the perception of reality. The exhibition features works by Joe Rudko, including collages made from found photographs and layered with oil and acrylic paint, as well as drawings in colored pencil, oil pastel, and graphite. By incorporating these materials into printed reproductions and book pages, the works blur the boundaries between photography, painting, and drawing, challenging conventional distinctions between the original image and its artistic transformation. At the heart of Photorealism lies a question about what it means for an image to appear real when photography itself can no longer be taken as an unquestionable record of reality. Through the interplay of photographic fragments and hand-applied media, the exhibition invites viewers to reconsider the ways images are constructed, interpreted, and experienced today.