by Lyle Rexer
After nearly two centuries and shelves of commentary miles long, we in the art world do not have a clear idea about photography. We know what it is, AI notwithstanding, but we have not been able to say who is looking and why. Or, rather, we have not been willing to acknowledge what we know about those things, so that we might actually begin to appreciate what is in front of us. Most vivid case in point: the photographs of Isaac “Drift” Wright.
Wright’s first exhibition in New York City introduced dramatic photographs into the white cube that usually have no place there but are tremendously popular, for a variety of reasons. Wright positioned himself high atop significant landmarks, including the New York Times Building and the Queensboro Bridge, and while elevated, also directed drones to capture views that reflect his feeling of awe and transcendence. That sense of photography as a purely personal and highly occasional repertoire of views, with apparently little formal premeditation, links his work to an entire generation whose primary outlet is social media, which prioritizes the sharing of experience in real time. Museums and galleries don’t know how to judge such work, distrust the pleasure it gives and, so, largely ignore it. In Wright’s case, the work’s spectacular character can blind them not just to its emotional imperatives, but more importantly to its artistic ambitions.
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