It’s no easy feat to graduate into a global recession. The second line of Adraint Bereal’s artist bio reflects this troubling reality that many young creatives are facing today. The statement begins by saying that he is a photographer based in Texas, and a recent design graduate from The University of Texas at Austin. Then, “All of his shows and upcoming opportunities have been cancelled, giving him more time to reflect on his personal life.” There’s one silver lining in there, at least.
When I ask him about what it’s like to be a creative right now, he writes: “I feel like I'm free falling right now, but I'm not free falling alone so there's that.” The 22-year-old photographer is remaining optimistic despite the shadow cast by the coronavirus pandemic, even looking forward to how the circumstances might bring about potential improvements to industry conditions. “I'm excited for what changes are going to be born from this in the creative industry,” he says. “I think this is a moment where you really get to see if people are who they really say they are.”
Adraint has been surviving lockdown by reading James Baldwin, writing poetry, and filling his time with spontaneous art projects. The photographs he’s been taking during this time have primarily been of himself and his housemates Michael, Isa and Khorii. The group have been best friends since they started college, and are now all graduating together this month. “They’re used to modelling for me,” says Adraint, “but I guess a better way of phrasing it is that they’re used to me documenting everything when we’re hanging out.”
For Adraint, though, the photo series he has created is "mostly an exploration of [his] body, and learning that being alone is very different from being lonely.” He adds, “I haven't had to spend this much time with myself in so long, so it's been a long run of getting to know myself better.”
Credits
All images courtesy Adraint Bereal