Field Of Vision: October 2011

A strange lexicon of crumpled, discarded and damaged American advertising billboards and slipped suburban typefaces are what fascinates photographer John Lehr. He crafts compelling, poetic images from the mistakes and the unloved - the peeling adhesive, the slipped letter and the abandoned building or unwashed car are all recognised as objects of beauty in themselves through his lens. His shrewd eye and interesting compositions make the viewer reappraise objects and debris they've probably walked past without noticing on a daily basis. With the isolated details of junk food billboards there's a nod to the Pop iconography of artists like James Rosenquist, but with his understanding of colour, Lehr's work is more like a strange and compelling collision of photographic legend William Eggleston's irreverence, and Italian artist Mimmo Rotella's carefully salvaged ripped vintage posters.