Bryan #2 2013

This photograph, Bryan #2, was captured by Jackie Nickerson. It's kind of hard to tell when it was made but it's super striking. The thing that grabs me is the massive sack or piece of fabric that Bryan is holding, it's like he's disappearing into it, or maybe being born from it. The texture is so key here, right? The rough, almost sculptural quality of the fabric against the smooth planes of the concrete floor. It makes me wonder about the weight of the material, how it feels to touch, and how it shapes the body underneath. I love how the light catches on those folds and wrinkles, creating these soft shadows that give the whole thing this intimate and vulnerable feeling. It reminds me a bit of some of the work by Dawoud Bey, that same interest in portraiture, but instead of focusing on the face, Nickerson directs our attention to the fabric. It feels like an ongoing conversation about identity, labor, and the stories our clothes tell about us. It's about questioning what we see and how we see it, embracing the ambiguity and leaving space for the unexpected.