Amerika

trailhead swimming hole, 2017

This body of work evolved from a curiosity about the contradictory and often hypocritical nature of this American experiment. As an activist and a student of history I find it hard to reconcile America’s apparent racism, sexism, violence, and overall bent toward self destruction on a societal level, with the largely generous, humorous and humane Americans I meet on an individual level. In this series I mine what Hannah Arendt called “the banality of evil” –that schism that allows good people to accept and contribute to unspeakable acts of societal and political violence. In these images, there is horror and deep sadness as well as humor and transcendence.