Featuring work by eight artists, and a new project from Magnum Photos, the first in a series of exhibitions at the Bronx Documentary Center examines America’s political transformation since Trump’s regressive immigration policies
Featuring work by eight artists, and a new project from Magnum Photos, the first in a series of exhibitions at the Bronx Documentary Center examines America’s political transformation since Trump’s regressive immigration policies
In Elliot Ross’s series, Plainsmen, we are called to the interior American West—a place which, from an outsider’s perspective, is generally romanticized and oversimplified. The region is too often ignored unless it is politically convenient, and it is som
In Elliot Ross’s series, Plainsmen, we are called to the interior American West—a place which, from an outsider’s perspective, is generally romanticized and oversimplified. The region is too often ignored unless it is politically convenient, and it is sometimes flippantly referred to as flyover country. As a person who grew up in rural Colorado, Ross understands the complexities faced by residents in this part of the country. Though the project is sequenced with photographs of people and places, our awareness is continuously being redirected toward the younger generation. They embody the heritage and lifestyle of their parents and connote values typically associated with rural American communities, including honesty and hard work. Despite this, their futures remain uncertain due to growing social and economic distress. Ross poignantly brings this dilemma to our attention and asks us to consider the future of the West and its residents—not the West of mythology, but that of fragile reality.
When photographer Elliot Ross and I traveled the 2,000 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border it was the spring of 2017. The post-election climate had enflamed a sense of cultural and political difference in the United States — much of which centered around the debate about the border wall. We set out expecting to find residents there who were fundamentally vexed by the relationship between the United States and Mexico; between immigrant, indigenous and Caucasian communities; and between border inhabitants and undocumented migrants. Instead, we found the opposite — and heard about fears largely left unvoiced.
The Mertens aren’t sure how far back farming goes in the family, but their best guess is at least seven generations. Photographer Elliot Ross says he is one of the only children in his generation to have left the tradition. But he still remembers vividly the sensations of growing up on the rolling plains of Colorado.
For the past year, Elliot Ross has been photographing the world of farmer Jim Mertens. Inspired by the empathetic imagery of Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans for the Farm Security Administration, Ross created an essay that examines the relationship between the farmer and the land, giving both characters equal focus in “The Reckoning Days.”
In a solitary corner of Northeast Colorado, the Mertens family makes their home on thousands of acres of wheat; before the rising of the sun, New York-based photographer Elliot Ross sits awake in the attic, where he has laid his head every night for the p
In a solitary corner of Northeast Colorado, the Mertens family makes their home on thousands of acres of wheat; before the rising of the sun, New York-based photographer Elliot Ross sits awake in the attic, where he has laid his head every night for the past three weeks
