IN THE SERIES
“NOT IN YOUR FACE,”
we witness a chronicle of American subcultures and vernaculars through an
iconic piece of American clothing: the
t-shirt. While the t-shirt is the visual
focus here, these photographs are about
identity, validation and perception. The
messages are similar to the very coats of
arms warriors painted on their shields
letting the enemy know just who they
were fighting. Individuals wear t-shirts
as a kind of badge of honor that says, “I
belong to this group not the other,” and
these images create a time capsule,
placing the wearer in a moment and
place in history.
By photographing from the back, I
attempt to challenge the time-honored
tradition of the portrait being of the
face, and test whether body type, dress
and demeanor can tell us just as much
as a facial expression might. When we
see someone on the street with a mes-
14th St., New York
PHOTO OR ILLUSTRATION CREDIT TK