Five photographers redefining Americana

[T]he vastness of America’s social and geographical landscapes has been masterfully captured by photographers for long over a century. Blurring the lines between documentary and art, photographers from Walker Evans to William Eggleston have explored obscure backwaters of the USA attempting to decode the identity of a complex and diverse nation. From the hard times and hedonism in major cities, to the listlessness of youth in the plains, mountains, deserts and small towns of the back country, photographers have sought to see beyond newspaper headlines and movie scene tropes. Instead, they deliver portraits of a country, often candid, sometimes stylised, that offer an insight into an unknowable landscape and a diverse, divided population.

Naturally, each new generation of photographers seeks to document their America in the same way. Aesthetics vary, demographics change, landscapes erode or giveway to out of town malls, shop signs fade and people move away. Nevertheless, something distinctly and instantly recognisable remains.

Here are five photographers whose vision of America we’re really enjoying right now.

Ryan Maldanado

Via his zine, Crash, LA-based photographer Ryan Maldanado is documenting the harsh facts of life in gridlocked Los Angeles. Capturing the aftermath of road traffic accidents on the city’s chaotic highways, Maldanado is part Nightcrawler part J.G Ballard as he stalks the roads for misfortune. From wry smiles and phone calls after minor incident to total destruction, his work is an enquiry into human behaviour in the face of danger, disappointment, relief and recovery and an inevitable comment on voyeurism and apathy.

Dan Monick

Dan Monick has a pre-occupation cheap psychics. His photographs of neon signs advertising $10 Tarot readings include an essential element of Americana – typography. Neon signs read “Advice on Love” or “Psychic Advisor” and appear in Monick’s photographs partly as objects of curiosity and partly half as unexpected, wry one-liners offering mild amusement on otherwise drab strip malls.

AxeL Morin

Ordinarily based in Paris where he makes surrealist interpretations of our post-internet world, Axel Morin has also visited America, where his portraits captured the wildly varying characters of Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Detroit. The resultant images are an eclectic vision of humanity. In divided times, his subjects often boldly their political, religious or cultural identities creating a series that goes some way to understanding the complexities and idiosynrcrasies of modern America.

Juan Madrid

With nearly half a million residents in its metropolitan area, Flint is the seventh largest city in Michigan. Since 2014 its residents have been asked to drink bottled or filtered water after the city’s water source was ruled to contain dangerous quantities of lead acquired from the pipes that distribute the water. Those pipes will not be fully replaced until 2020. Meanwhile, Flint suffers from high levels of poverty, violent crime, loss of employment and chronic underfunding from the Govermnent. Juan Madrid, a photographer originally from upstate New York, visited the city to find warmth, humanity and community amidst the chaos.

Stephanie Moshammer

Exploring subculture, intimacy and ambiguity, Stephanie Moshammer’s photographer challenges notions of luxury, glamour and beauty against a backdrop of motel rooms and late night Las Vegas. Her series Vegas and She is a riveting take on how America’s indulgence in capitalist philosophy manifests itself in the country’s epicentre of wild nights and materialism.