Selected Photography Portfolios
Fine art Photography and Plastic Surgery may seem like very different careers, but for at least one individual, they are inextricably bound. David Teplica, MD, MFA received the Trustee's Scholarship to complete the Master of Fine Arts degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. During the same two year time period between General Surgery and Plastic Surgery training at the University of Chicago, Teplica received a Surgical Scientist Training Grant from the NIH and worked in the laboratory at night doing anatomic research.
Teplica manages a busy private plastic surgical practice in Chicago with patients who travel from across the country and from abroad. His photography has been widely reproduced, the images are exhibited worldwide, and prints are held in many museum, corporate, and private collections.
"My dual obsessions are both about perception of the body. In photography --in two dimensions-- I'm concerned about how light plays off of body surfaces and changes the way a person or situation is perceived. Form, symmetry, and composition can all be used to evoke specific emotional or psychological responses from the viewer. In the three-dimensional field of Plastic Surgery, form is altered so that a patient sees himself differently. Interestingly, society may or may not see the changes, but often reacts more favorably to a post-surgical patient who carries himself more confidently through life's daily routine."
Twins
Monozygotic twins, commonly referred to as "identical", share far more than similar appearances. Over the past 25 years David Teplica has produced a compelling folio of twin work that explores the fascinating psychological, emotional, and physical bonds that nature's clones share. The creative portfolio and the companion collection of scientific/anatomic images are believed to be the largest body of twin photography ever produced.
Entanglements
Explorations of human contact.
Rapture
In the early 1990's as the AIDS epidemic swept the country, individuals were encased in tubular seamless fabric and were asked to express their thoughts and fears and experiences regarding physical contact. The series traveled to college campuses as safe sex campaigns were launched.
Roentgenograms
Archeography in Eden
Discarded X-Rays were assembled in the darkroom to investigate the story of Genesis ...
