New York City 1998

This black and white photograph, New York City, was captured by Michael Ackerman. Look at the way he teases the light from the dark, the way he makes a mark. It’s never just about what's depicted but about the conversation between the medium and the subject. The beauty here is in the gritty texture, the stark contrast. Notice the woman’s face, the focus of the image. Her features are sharp, almost hyper-real, while the background dissolves into a blur of motion. Look at the way Ackerman uses the blur to capture the chaotic energy of the city. The way the light streaks across the buildings and the faces of the passersby. It is a dance of light and shadow, a study of what it means to be present, and to be lost, in a crowd. Ackerman reminds me a little of Robert Frank in the way that he sees and captures the city in all its messy, imperfect glory. He reminds us that art is an ongoing conversation, a series of echoes and responses across time.