Rob Lomblad

(b. 1974; resides Chicago, IL)

Good photographs are like good mysteries—enough details to suggest a story but not quite enough to resolve it. A glowing light from behind the walls of two conjoined industrial buildings is coupled with an empty parking lot with traces of road marks from some automobile activity. What happened here?  - Rob Lomblad

Rob Lomblad documents urban late-night scenes between the hours of midnight and 4:00 am. Much like an archeologist, he is not as interested in the setting as he is with what’s been left behind by its daytime dwellers. These familiar spaces, alleys, shopping centers, parks, are rendered mysterious and take on new meaning when photographed devoid of inhabitants under the neon street lamps. In one image the only “earth” is that of a small median strip within a parking lot. Its sole purpose seems to be to serve as a resting place for a discarded shopping cart, thus hinting at its monotonous daytime activity.

Lomblad received his BA in Photography from Columbia College in 2003. He was recently awarded a grant from the Weisman Scholarship, and images from this series were awarded first prize in the Union League of Chicago’s Visual Arts Contest. He has recently participated in a number of group shows in Chicago: Midway International Airport, Heaven Gallery, the Union League of Chicago, the Glass Curtain Gallery, and the Hokin Center at Columbia College.