Untitled #25 (Lake Erie and Sky) 2017

Dawoud Bey made this photograph of Lake Erie and Sky, and it's all about atmosphere. The heavy, brooding sky looms over the water, which seems to mirror its darkness. I'm imagining Bey out there, maybe on a boat, feeling the chill, waiting for the right moment. Did he know what he was looking for? Or was it about being open to the feeling of the lake, letting it seep into him? It reminds me of some of Hiroshi Sugimoto's seascapes, these quiet, contemplative spaces where the horizon line becomes a meditation. Bey's photograph feels like that, a kind of still, dark poem. It’s about the mood, about the way light – or lack of it – can transform a landscape into something emotional, something felt. It's like Bey is saying: Look, feel this weight, this immensity.