John Hitchcock: Ghosts of Brutality

In his exhibition, Ghosts of Brutality, artist John Hitchcock used familiar images of U.S. military weaponry such as tanks and helicopters set against unfamiliar mythological and hybrid creatures that referenced buffalo, wolf, and deer from the Wichita Mountains in western Oklahoma to explore notions of assimilation and control.  For Hitchcock, this subject matter was personal as he grew up in western Oklahoma on Comanche tribal lands that are located next to Fort Sill, the largest field artillery military base in North America. 
 
Inspired by the long history of social and political commentary within the discipline of printmaking, Hitchcock frequently uses the medium to explore relationships of community, land, and culture. Beyond printmaking as it is traditionally conceived, Ghosts of Brutality included works on paper and a multimedia installation of printed matter and video that referenced the trauma of war and fragility of life.
 
Hitchcock has exhibited his work widely. Currently, he is a professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison where he teaches screenprinting, relief cut, and installation. He earned his MFA in printmaking and photography at Texas Tech University and his BFA from Cameron University.