In the car with R
The ‘R’ of the title is the artist himself, a photographer by trade but moreover a visual artist and narrator of considerable talent, whether he’s using books or photographs. No wonder Rafal Milach has taken a theme dear to writers and photographers: the road trip, that journey of encounters and introspection. We’re in the car with ‘R’ in Iceland. Up there, the tradition is to tour the whole island by taking Route 1, the asphalt loop whose gray bends blend into the landscape. Only the red of the carpets, leatherette chairs, t-shirts, rings and walls punctuate the near-monochromatic cold.
Elsewhere, white and gray engulf the horizon, shapes and pale bodies. Everything is there: the motels, the empty diner, the seedy bar, the open spaces, the architectural notes, even the logbook. The higher we go, the more palpable the solitude grows: a lone cane hanging from coat rack, empty mailboxes, barely furnished rooms, the motel’s neon light which barely have the space to shine. The road forward is blocked by a thick fog, but what good is it to look where we’re going if we ignore where we are?
Photoville
In the Car with R, de Rafal Milach
Until September 28, 2014
Pier 5 – Brooklyn Bridge Park
New York, USA
