by Philip Montgomery
Philip Montgomery is a native Californian living in New York City for the past decade. His work examines the social issues of our time, utilising observational strategies of documentary and aesthetic approaches of fine art photography.
American Mirror is Philip's response to the events of the past seven years, a photo-book of 71 plates telling the story of a fractured nation. A mixture of personal projects, commissions and assigned work the book crosses states lines and demographics, documenting the opioid epidemic, evictions, floods, wildfires, racial justice protests, the 6 January riot on the Capitol, and the first 18 months of the Covid-19 pandemic. The work started in 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri, with the death of Michael Brown, a key event in the early development of the Black Lives Matter movement and a new civil rights era. "His death was a moment unlike any in my generation's understanding of America," Philip says. "The country wasn't well.” Montgomery reveals the fault lines in American society, from police violence and the opioid addiction crisis to the COVID-19 pandemic and the demonstrations in support of Black lives. Yet in his unflinching images, we also see moments of grace and sacrifice, glimmers of solidarity and tireless advocates for democracy.
