Gregory Halpern, Untitled from Let the Sun Beheaded Be, 2019. © Gregory Halpern

Written by Max Wiener

The beauty of art is perspective. Everyone’s mind serves as unique beacon of intelligence for the world, all with their own individual voice. At New York’s International Center of Photography, one of the institutional pillars of the medium, Immersion: Gregory Halpern, Raymond Meeks, and Vasantha Yogananthan sees a true collision of perspectives all on the same walls, creating a beautifully kaleidoscopic display of unmatched mastery in photography. Created during each of the respective artists’ individual residencies with ICP, Immersion shows the beautiful dichotomy that can exist in not just contemporary photography, but art as a whole. This sprawling exhibition opened on September 29th and has a hearty run time, with a scheduled closing on January 8th.

Raymond Meeks, Untitled from The Inhabitants, 2022. © Raymond Meeks

Each of the individual projects were commissioned by Fondation d’entreprise Hermès and presented in collaboration with ICP and the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson in Paris. Both institutions are incredibly supportive of unique voices and harness the unmatched potential in the modern artistic world. In addition, each of these individual series are their own separate publications: Halpern’s is Let the Sun Beheaded Be (2020), Yogananthan’s is Mystery Street (2023), and Meek’s is The Inhabitants (2023). Those who don’t have the ability to experience this breathtaking work in person can do so from the comfort of their own homes.

Vasantha Yogananthan, Untitled from Mystery Street, 2022. © Vasantha Yogananthan

Immersion proves to be one of the most unique artistic experiences in the modern world, almost serving as a story in three acts. Each artist and their series has a unique voice, yes, the human condition lies at the heart of all three. Their approaches are certainly what categorizes them apart, but looking at the frames and stills you, see a world much like your own and soak in familiar themes you yourself might experience in your daily life. Because of this, it adds a tremendous amount of depth and emotion to the collective as a whole.

The three photographers have different approaches, yes, but in their work the camera (and the capturer) are invisible, allowing us to have an undoctored view of their world. Through them, we get a raw and unfiltered artistic experience, basking in the breadth of their voices and their subjects. It’s an interesting thought that if they had staged or even hinted at the camera the true authenticity of their world would be hindered. By not doing so, they create an atmosphere that we can experience even in the crowded grid of Manhattan.

Halpern’s series grounds everything by bringing historical context into some of humankind’s earliest suffering, using Christopher Columbus and his horrific acts as a catalyst for his art. His photography, albeit historical, can be deeply felt in the modern psyche, with rich emotions seeping through the image and resonating deep within us. Yogananthan and Meeks bring us more into the contemporary scope of the world’s struggles, with class and immigration struggles coming to the forefront of their work. Meeks specifically dives into the refugee crisis that exists in the world, capturing harrowing images of some of the most heartbreaking narratives in the world’s population. Through these three artists, the billions of people on planet Earth seem all the more approachable, allowing their stories to resonate deeper within us.