We asked a handful of our favourite photographers to look back at 2019 and remember it through the photographs they took. From i-D contributions to personal pictures of friends, family and strangers on the street, this is Cary Fagan: My Year in Photos.
The brilliant Cary Fagan caught our attention earlier this year with his evocative work capturing the magic unfolding behind the scenes of two different Solange projects. First for her album When I Get Home and later her landmark concert, Witness!, at Germany’s Elbphilharmonie. The 29-year-old from Arizona is currently based in Houston and has spent his twenties learning, and learning from, photography. “I would love to say that 3/4 of my work is personal,” Cary explains. “I enjoy working with new talent, especially when it comes to portraiture. This year I’ve enjoyed capturing still life; chairs, other inanimate objects.” One of his images — a trio of brightly-dressed models across a sparse, grey background — appeared in the highly-celebrated The New Black Vanguard exhibition and book earlier this year. He’s also the artist behind ASAP Rocky’s celebrated Testing artwork.
January
Deer Portrait Year: 2019. Location: Deer Park. Nara I became a deer in January.
February
Solange When I Get Home, Horseback. Year: 2019 Location: Marfa, Texas. I worked on set with Solange for her film/project When I Get Home. A special moment in time, there was a lot of great energy that evening. The sunset was rewarding.
March
SXSW A$AP Rocky/A$AP Ferg Portrait. Location: Hotel Room Austin, Texas. Year: 2019. Random night; I was working as a PA with SmartCar and met up with some friends later.
April
Japanese Residency Chair Stacking Portrait — Freedom. Location: Takeo-Shi Saga, Japan. Year: 2019. I defined my meaning of freedom; not knowing what’s ahead of the path but still moving forward. I chose to express myself through a new medium during my first residency in Japan
May
Rain; Butterfly. Location: Houston. Texas Year: 2019. It was raining that day; it always rains when I want to shoot…
June
Men of Change 2019. Model: Haper Watters. Year: 2018. Location: Navasota, Texas. Depicting Alvin Ailey as one of the men of change was not easy, the task itself seemed impossible. Even in today’s society, as a black man, telling a story still has its obstacles; not being able to share the full story isn’t what I imagined but what I’ve learned to use my voice and translate these thoughts.
July
Three Buckets and a Boxing Ring. Year: 2019 Location: Houston, Texas. This year I really wanted to focus on still life, I am noticing the beauty of everyday objects.
August
Portrait of Princess. Location: Houston, Texas. Year: 2019. Princess and I had a good conversation about being the underdogs in the industry and what it takes to push forward and keep creating.
September
Witness! Location: Hamburg, Germany. Year: 2019. I took the opportunity to document Witness! Solange’s live performance in Germany. The Elbphilharmonie is an eclectic building; one of a kind.
October
Three Portrait. Year: 2019. Location: New York. This image was featured at The New Black Vanguard event; this moment was important to me. History has selected some of the most prolific black photographers of this era, and I was a part of this group.
November
Arigatou Studios. King and I started Arigatou Studios, and ran our first exhibition in Houston, Texas during the 9/10th of November. It’s important that we create more spaces that evoke new thought and inspire change.
December
Chairs are people. Location: Florence, Italy — Numeroventi. Year: 2019. I took an opportunity of a lifetime, found myself in Italy stacking chairs at a residency called Numeroventi. I gained new perspectives from a stranger, he pointed out “that a black man creating art in Italy was not normal”; only to realise I am stacking chairs next to a statue crafted by Michelangelo. This is a moment to step back and understand that I am here. I am looking forward to more success in creating a path for myself to move forward. It feels nice admitting to myself that I have direction; knowing what you want isn’t so easy to figure out sometimes…