Untitled [New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, 2005] Possibly 2005 - 2010

Richard Misrach captured this photograph of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast in 2005, and it's not just an image, it's a raw, open question. The words "WHAT NOW" are scrawled on plywood, punctuated by a lone question mark on a fence. It's this kind of directness that really grabs me. I mean, look at the texture of that plywood, the way it's been hastily put up. It’s a shield but also a billboard for despair. Then there’s that bright orange paint, so vibrant against the muted tones of the wood and brick. It's like a flare, cutting through the silence, demanding attention. That question mark on the fence? It’s almost like graffiti, a primal scream into the void. Misrach has spent much of his career documenting humanity's relationship to the land. In his "Desert Cantos" series, for example, Misrach explored the impact of human activity on the arid landscapes of the American West. Here, the devastation is immediate and personal. Like the photojournalism of someone like Dorothea Lange, there is a sense that the image has been wrested straight from reality. Ultimately, it is that feeling that stays with you.