Heroin User, Chicago after 1957

Gordon Parks made "Heroin User, Chicago" using photography; the image’s muted tones and grainy texture speak volumes. It's like looking at a memory fading, yet the sharpness of the needle pierces through, demanding attention. The scene is cropped tight, focusing on the arm and hand. The skin has a rough texture, and the veins, a stark reminder of vulnerability. There’s a dark tourniquet wrapped around the arm, emphasizing the pallor of the skin beneath. The needle itself is like a cruel brushstroke, laden with a metaphorical weight that spills beyond the frame. Parks doesn’t conceal; he reveals. This image shares DNA with the bluntness of Nan Goldin’s snapshots. Like Goldin, Parks uses the unflinching eye of the camera to address difficult subjects, creating a space for dialogue. Art, here, becomes a difficult mirror, reflecting uncomfortable truths about society and ourselves.