Joshua Aronson EMERGING

Joshua Aronson’s series of emerging artists was birthed from an assignment he shot for i-D Magazine in December 2016. At the time, he was living in Miami Beach after graduating with a degree in philosophy from Northwestern University earlier in the year. “There’s so many talented young artists in Miami, but there’s no real spotlight on them except for the five days when Art Basel comes to town,” he says. Aronson shot ten portraits for i-D and soon after made the move to New York City for an apprenticeship. However, as a personal project, he continued to seek out emerging artists to photograph.

Aronson is drawn to artists who cross boundaries. “They have a predilection for the contemporary moment,” he says. “They aren’t letting themselves be confined to one medium.” Subjects have included Tyler Mitchell, a photographer who also directs fashion films, and Dozie Kanu, a furniture designer who has consulted for the musician Travis Scott, amongst others. Aronson’s portraits have appeared in The New York Times, T Magazine and Dazed.

According to Aronson, the portraits should capture his subjects stripped of any of the mechanisms of their craft. “It’s about creating an image and a world you can get lost in, almost like an installation,” he says.

With 40 portraits of emerging artists in his portfolio to date, Aronson is ready to move on. But he hopes the work has longevity. “I want people in 20 or 30 years to look back and see what it was like to be a young artist in 2018,” he says. “My series is a document.”

— Brienne Walsh

Photos © Joshua Aronson jdaronson.com