For Years, Issac Wright found that scaling bridges and buildings, and making photos on the summits, helped curb his PTSD. Now he has a real career putting himself on the line.
First-Ever NYC Exhibition Opens Thursday at Robert Mann Gallery
Just days before the opening of Coming Home, the debut New York City exhibition by photographer Isaac “Drift” Wright, The New York Times has published a major profile on the artist, written by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist David Phillips. See here:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/10/arts/design/isaac-wright-photographer.html
The article traces Wright’s extraordinary path from military service and incarceration to his emergence as one of the most distinctive and daring urban photographers working today.
Wright is known for climbing and photographing from the highest points of cities across the globe. His work - captured from spires, girders and rooftops - is defined by stillness, scale and solitude. Offering a perspective most people never see, his photographs are grounded in risk and shaped by personal transformation period.
“In some ways, I feel safer up there than I ever did on the ground, Wright told The New York Times. It's the only place I've ever felt completely free.”
Coming Home marks Wright's first-ever solo gallery exhibition in New York City. It includes the first public display of his now legendary image, taken from the Spire of the Empire State Building, as well as large format works from across New York and beyond. The show reflects the intimacy, isolation and intensity that define his practice.
To fully capture the scale of Wright's vision, Robert Mann Gallery has expanded its Chelsea exhibition space for this show. The result is an immersive presentation that allows visitors to engage deeply with the boldness and depth of his prints.
“From the first time I saw Isaac’s work, I knew it carried more than visual power,” says gallerist Robert Mann. “The New York Times piece gives language to what his photographs already suggest: that behind every image is a life reclaimed and a story still unfolding.”
With national media attention and artist attended opening reception, Coming Home launches this Thursday as one of the most anticipated exhibitions of this season.
Exhibition Dates: May 15 to June 28, 2025
Opening Reception: Thursday, May 15, 5:00 to 8:00 PM (Artist in attendance)
Hours: Tuesday - Friday, 10AM-4PM, Saturday 12-5PM
Location: Robert Mann Gallery
508 West 26th Street. Suite 209
New York, NY 10001