Michael Garden, Angola, Louisiana 10 - 1999

Deborah Luster created "Michael Garden, Angola, Louisiana" using the 19th-century technique of tintype photography. This choice isn't accidental; Luster evokes the historical weight of early portraiture, particularly its association with documentation and identity. Here, we see Michael Garden, an inmate at the infamous Angola prison, a former plantation. By using this antiquated method, Luster nods to the fraught history of photography being used to document, control, and often dehumanize marginalized communities. The gold-toned plate adds to the sense of time and perhaps a feeling of distance. What does it mean to look at a portrait of an incarcerated individual rendered with such care? Luster's work doesn't offer easy answers, but asks us to consider the complex layers of identity, representation, and the historical echoes that reverberate through the carceral system. It's a powerful invitation to reflect on the human stories often obscured by the stark reality of prison.