Existing comment:
SHEDRICK PELT
I Can't Stand the Rain
Medium format film photography
16 x 20H in.
Courtesy of artist
ARTIST STATEMENT
Out of the toughest of times comes powerful imagery -- it is the solar year 2020 and the world is at a standstill. Things quickly grow into a state of panic, which only intensifies after the murder of George Floyd, months into what is now a global pandemic. Through the collective trauma of the moment, we still found the emotional space to celebrate our history, Black history.
I Can't Stand the Rain was made during the 2020 Juneteenth celebration at Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, DC. The image depicts a young Black man, Afro peppered with freshly fallen raindrops, Black Power Afro pick adorning the crown of his tilted head. A bright green bandanna covers his nose and mouth. His eyes exude strength and worry, hope and disappointment. Capturing this image using a civil rights–era Pentax 6 × 7 medium-format camera, shot on Kodak Portra 400 film stock, imbued the portrait with a textured nostalgia. It pays homage to the world-changing social justice movement, lending its virtue to a community in need 60 years later. |