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

This photograph of a house in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast was taken by Richard Misrach in 2005. Look at the markings on the walls. I can imagine Misrach, with his camera, standing there, feeling the weight of the recent disaster. I wonder, what does it feel like to point and shoot at something like this? The casualness of the photo stands in contrast to the intensity of the crisis. The scene is ordinary, almost banal – but the horror is there, scrawled on the walls in simple language. I can feel the weight of someone’s personal tragedy there on the facade. Misrach made his name photographing the American West. This photograph comes from a series documenting the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a departure for him. I am struck by how such documentation can still be a form of expression. Misrach seems to be saying, ‘Look at this. This is what happened.’ It’s a powerful statement about the power of photography to capture a moment and provoke us to reflect on our relationship to each other.