Marianna #XIV 2019

Wesaam Al-Badry made this photograph, Marianna #XIV, at an unknown date, and for me it’s all about the mix of things. I mean, look at the palette: you've got these faded greens, these washed-out blues of the sky, and then BAM! that reddish-brown tower smack in the middle. It's this clash between the natural landscape and the man-made structure that really gets me thinking. The texture seems smooth but there's this grit, this industrial feel that seeps into everything. I think this is a metaphor about how industrial intervention contrasts with organic environments. There's something about how Al-Badry composes this scene that reminds me of the New Topographics photographers of the 70's, like Robert Adams, who were also looking at the impact of human intervention on the American landscape. In the end, it’s a reminder that art, like life, is about seeing the multiple layers of meaning in any given moment.