In O, Dominican-American artist Rodriguez explores the free-fall of life, the construction of identity, and their connections with spiritual destiny. Using a cast of different bodies, ages, backgrounds and identities, Rodriguez challenges his subjects to let go: bodies contort and collapse while returning to poise, lifting to grace, and reaching into purity. How much control do we have over the direction we are headed? How soft is the landing?
The book's title – the letter O – speaks to the transcendence Rodriguez seeks in his evocative portraits: between a noise, a gasp, an exhale, a cycle, all sounds, an open symbol, a zero, a reset. These deep, soulful black-and-white darkroom photos attempt to capture a feeling in our contemporary moment: a loss of control and a search for dignity and pride.
O will be released by Loose Joints in early May with launches in New York, Berlin and Paris.
O. by Luis Alberto Rodriguez is published by Loose Joints.
all images © Luis Alberto Rodriguez 2023 courtesy Loose Joints