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Explore American Suburbia’s Struggles Through This New Exhibit


In the visual arts, varied paintings, drawings, and collages depict the American way of life. In photography, several images and series created over the decades have portrayed America’s joys, challenges, and triumphs. From the early scenes of the Civil War captured by Matthew Brady to the scenes of the Great Depression by Dorothea Lange to the assassination attempt of Trump by Evan Vucci, we have several images that showcase how America changed over the years. While these photographs are iconic and imprinted in viewers’ minds, other images softly but strongly portray what it means to live in America today. One such example is an exhibition by Mischa Lluch, which offers a new perspective on the matter.

The lead image is by Mischa Lluch, courtesy of the artists and All About Photos. Used with permission.

Titled Fading, this online exhibition by All About Photos offers a subjective view of suburban American life, which is considered an ideal way of living today. This comes at a time when the veil of American prosperity has been lifted, with the challenges of human relationships and the sense of loneliness prevailing in the United States. Thus, through the images, Lluch aims to explore the emotional toll of the unfulfilled and broken dreams of a glorious past.

Lluch, who is also a cinematographer, reveals that her photographs often highlight the atmosphere as a critical tool in storytelling, which she has begun to appreciate. In her series Fading, the “mood” is quite significant to the narrative she builds, particularly by using various layers to make the scene engaging. This could be the use of materials, emotions, or the existential dread that hangs by a threat in the photographs. Although some may feel the series is similar to New Topographics, which portrays the day-to-day life of suburban America, Lluch’s true inspiration lies somewhere else: Eugene Ateget and Humberto Rivas. For the unversed, Atget’s portraits of Paris’ architecture are still the most beautiful photographs of old Paris, while Rivas’ pictures of architecture are haunting and melancholic.

In addition, this project connects to the idea of the ‘flâneur,’ a term introduced by Charles Baudelaire in his essay The Painter of Modern Life. The flâneur is someone who strolls through the city, observing life without a particular purpose or goal. However, the photographer focuses on American life in the suburbs, showcasing “disconnection, longing, and the quiet poetry of fading dreams.” As a result, the flâneur wants to see but not be discovered. As for the photographer, she acts like a hunter, gathering moments that caught her eye.

Lluch notes that the images were created with a medium-format, 6×9-color negative film. However, she relied on her rangefinder camera when there was an urgent scene. While the images have been captured in San Francisco’s South Bay, they appear like ghostly visions of a town abandoned or forgotten by time. The cloudy day, fading colors, mist, and shades of grey highlight this mood further.

Fading is an exhibition you should see to understand our future if Trump implements his promised changes. The work may be fictitious, but it captures our reality’s essence. We may not abandon and leave our country, but there will be changes that will impact us all. Fading proves that the American way of life is not what it used to be. And in 2025, that dream will further be stripped away.

Fading is on view until January 31. For more information or to see the exhibit, visit All About Photo’s website.



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