Alabama 2015

Richard Ross made this photograph, "Alabama," with a camera, capturing a slice of life that feels both stark and intimate. The image itself is less about the decisive moment and more about the accumulation of moments within a confined space. The concrete walls have this mottled texture, kind of like a Rothko painting stripped down to its barest bones. And then there's that small window, a rectangle of light cutting through the gray, almost like a minimalist sculpture. The light falls on the figure in the orange suit, drawing the eye immediately to them. I'm reminded of the cold precision of someone like Thomas Ruff, who makes images of interiors. Both artists invite us to think about what it means to see, and what it means to be seen, within these constructed environments. But where Ruff is detached, Ross has a clear point of view about what he is seeing. Ultimately, the photograph embraces the idea that a picture can hold many stories at once.