ICP PROJECTIONS: TALK IN IMAGES-BODY
May 23, 2018
"Talk in Images, presented by ICP in partnership with Huawei, explores the power of photography to act as a universal language. Notable visual storytellers lead conversations around topics such as “love,” “work,” and “hope” through photos posted on social media. A laboratory of sorts, the series explores the power of imagery to spark meaningful, socially engaged, and conscientious visual conversations on a global scale."
I was honored to have an image of mine shown in this series.
This is not the most beautiful body photograph I’ve ever made, but it’s by far the most important. My brother died of cancer two weeks ago. I wasn’t there to say goodbye, but I visited him in the tenuous days before. He knew his body was failing. I didn’t, or maybe I couldn’t accept it. He called me over every day to touch my pregnant belly. He would close his eyes for a long time, and then silently smile and nod at me. I thought he was drawing strength from us. I know now that he was both greeting my daughter and saying goodbye.
Our bodies are strange vessels. His couldn’t sustain him. Mine created new life when I was least expecting it. I’m heartbroken at losing this body that I love, that has protected me and been with me my entire life. I worry that my own aging body won’t be able to sustain or protect this new being that I carry. At this moment, I can’t hold or touch either of these bodies that I love so fiercely. But I have to believe that they’ve met.