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

Richard Misrach captured this photograph, Untitled [New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, 2005], most likely with a digital camera, and later printed the image on paper. I’m thinking about the kind of courage it takes to make something like this. The rawness of it, the refusal of beauty, and the need to say something. It's more than just a snapshot. I think Misrach has made a political and spiritual gesture. The heavy atmosphere, so dense that it swallows up all but what is nearby, brings the scene to a standstill. The writing is so direct – "Keep the Faith" and "We Will Rebuild." And there’s something very touching about this kind of raw, straightforward expression. It reminds me of the work of Gordon Matta-Clark, whose work I admire. They both work with the real. Sometimes the simplest gestures are the most profound, aren’t they? The act of making something, anything, is an act of defiance, a refusal to be silenced.