Rahim Fortune

“The Cove addresses the pain and memory associated with the loss of a family and community. At once, it is a love letter to my family and a fair critique of how progress is often actualized to the detriment of ourselves and others.

As I have observed the archives left behind by my family, the notion of pride was constantly met with contradiction and nuance that it is important for us to grapple with as a universal human condition. This idea that two things can be true at once, and the importance of recognizing this, breaks down the preconceived notions that lead to division between us. I put myself into my father’s shoes and the communities his work as a police officer impacted, my grandfather and the things he saw and carried out overseas as a combat veteran in both the Vietnam and Korean wars, and my grandmother who raised a beautiful family of 8 children at the cost of ever experiencing her own ambitions in life. There is an idea about the ‘good old days’ that is so closely tied to traditional values that I am interested in interrogating with this new work. At a time when the world feels so divided along ideological lines, we may all benefit from self-reflection, redemption, and the offering of grace in how we remember.

My work in speculative documentary photography has prepared me to pivot my approach and undertake such an ambitious project. My practice is steeped in photo history, and this new project will be an essential addition, challenging me to push my work into a new direction.”