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

Richard Misrach took this photograph of a house in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast in 2005. Its pale blue facade is marked with the words, “Sorry we have moved” and a phone number. Misrach captured this image in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. I think of him walking around in the wreckage, trying to make sense of it, looking for meaning. You can almost imagine the absent owner scrawling this message, with all its sadness and humor. This isn't painting but it feels painterly. The textures – the rough, damaged walls, the scrappy detritus on the lawn – all tell a story, like brushstrokes building up an image. The open door and broken window give the house a kind of face, a kind of death mask of a place. The photograph acts as a document, capturing a moment of profound social and ecological disruption. It reminds us that art can arise from unexpected places, prompting us to see the world in new ways. And in this exchange, the artist’s vision becomes a mirror for our own.