Brian Howell | CHAINSAW RORSCHACH TEST

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Brian Howell, “Chainsaw Rorschach Test #3 (Homelite),” 2023

archival inkjet print, 31 x 23.5 inches, edition of 8, and 44.75 x 34 inches, edition of 8 (courtesy of the gallery)

Brian Howell (Canadian, b.1966) is a photographer best known for creating documentary photographs that are rooted in activism. He is based in Vancouver, BC, which is also the city of his birth, although he relocated to Toronto for his studies at Ryerson. Howell’s early work includes “One Ring Circus” a book of photographs depicting indie wrestling in British Columbia. The photographs were widely published and exhibited and ultimately led to editorial collaborations with several publications, including The Guardian Weekend magazine. His second book, Fame Us is a series of portraits of Celebrity Impersonators and was referred to as the “Eeriest photography book of 2007” by The New York Times.

It was while on an editorial assignment to shoot the Vancouver 2010 Olympics that Howell was moved to document “Shopping Carts” after a chance encounter with a man collecting random items in Vancouvers West End. The photographs led to gallery representation and marked the beginning of Howell’s large-scale colour photography. In the winter of 2015, Howell was seriously injured in a car accident while returning from making photographs for his acclaimed Burnt Forest series.

Howell’s work is included in several private collections and the permanent collection of the Surrey Art Gallery.