PDN Photo of the Day

The Disquiet of Being Black in the Suburbs

 

Al J. Thompson’s work has a mystical quality to it, an eerily beautiful stoicism that captures suburban Black life in a way that does not feign politicization. His work is not concerned with a gaze or any kind of reclaiming. A  Jamaican American, age 38,  Thompson’s vantage point is that of an outsider grappling with the isolation and ennui of being Black in the suburbs.

His striking, melancholic black-and-white landscapes call to mind the images of Robert Adams, showing the stark vastness of a scene. The sometimes bleak portraits of his Rockland County, NY community, remind me of a ghostly presence, captured in a moment, and then dispersing to the next scene. These photographs are not quick snapshots, but thoughtful moments of dignified watchfulness.

His photographs of his two children are not the traditional candid and quirky moments that one finds plastered on refrigerators or shared across social media. They show a family in flux, caught in authentic, unplanned moments of disquiet.

His evocative images are powerful and alluring all on their own, but his often lengthy Instagram posts add to the richness of each image. His writing, much in the style of diary entries, tells the tale of an incredibly active mind, excited by life and its simplest moments, which keeps me excited, invested in his work, and anxious to see what he does next.

—Gioncarlo Valentine

Gioncarlo Valentine, a writer and photographer based in New York, is guest editing this week’s Photo of the Day features.

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