From People of Print, 2026: “Signs structure how we move through the world. They direct, warn, instruct and inform. In semiotic terms, a sign is a site of representation, one thing standing in for another. Yet in the built environment, signs carry more than the words or symbols on their faces. For Nicholas H. Ruth, it is the back of the sign that holds particular intrigue.

His recent series of photogravures turns attention to the unseen side of roadside infrastructure. By photographing the backs of road signs at night, Ruth performs what he describes as an act of reclamation and reconsideration. To look at the reverse is to interrupt habit. It is an invitation to notice what is typically ignored.”