Musee du quai Branly Coincidence

There are very few moments that I remember where I have been completely floored and emotional over a piece of art, let alone experience a coincidence like I did at the Quai’ Branley. A museum that I thought was just filled with primitive art, actually housed a show on Hair in the upstairs section, that little to my knowledge, housed a section of the exhibit on the elderly, a huge focus within my work, let alone the C.C. Boston by Nicholas Nixon—the photograph that inspired me to go within this field.

As soon as I turned the corner, and saw the Nicholas Nixon photograph of C.C. Boston, I was floored. I have been looking at this photograph since High School, and it’s the single photograph that prompted me to start taking photographs of my family-more specifically my Great-Grandparents. There is so much raw emotion within this photograph that is so relatable, so palpable, and so heartbreaking. The way that Nixon is able to capture this kind of moment without exploiting the subject I have always been in awe of. 

I am honestly speechless at the fact that this photograph just happened to be part of this temporary exhibition upstairs while I’m in Paris. While I thought the photograph was powerful over the computer, it does no justice as it does in person. The way that the figure is close to life-size, how close you can get to their sharp, stray wispy hairs, and the veins protruding from their paper-thin skin is unreal. The pain is so much more apparent when you can get up close to their expression-see the wrinkles, the frustration, the confusion, and just how tired C.C. Boston is.

This photograph functions as a reminder to me that even at our most tired, frustrated, moments where society does not perceive us as beautiful, there is beauty in being raw, in being real, and being honest. Seeing how

I can’t explain how 4000 miles away from home that I found the single piece that prompted me to photograph, hanging in a wall at the Quai Branley museum in Paris. Seeing that reaffirmed my love for this medium. Every person within this field has moments where their passion fluctuates; where their works lives up to their expectations or completely sinks below them. And as of late, I’ve felt like I’ve been more lost than usual with my work. This piece, this exhibit completely inspired me to keep pushing forward and reminded me why I chose to go into photography within the first place. I am absolutely speechless at the amount of chance and coincidence that led to that moment and me seeing this photograph. This piece has completely re-inspired me and recharged me-I am beyond ecstatic that I got the chance to experience it in person.