Created Equal: Parallel Portraits of Cultural Difference
by Maria Popova
Nearly two years ago, we explored Exactitudes — a visual study of similarity within subcultures. Now, we turn to the opposite: From photographer Mark Laita comes Created Equal — a visual study of diffrence between subcultures.
The stunning series of parallel portraits juxtaposes people from opposite ends of the cultural, ideological or socioeconomic spectrum, offering a subtle reminder of our shared humanity despite the clash and separation of our circumstances.
In America, the chasm between rich and poor is growing, the clash between conservatives and liberals is strengthening, and evil and good seem more polarized than ever before. At the heart of this collection of diptychs is my desire to remind us that we are all equal, until our environment, circumstances or fate molded and weathered us into whom we have become.” ~ Mark Laita
Country Fair Livestock Show Contestant / Cajun Man
Ballerina / Boxer
Homeless Man / Real Estate Developer
Baptist Minister / Ku Klux Klan
Polygamist / Pimp
Gangster / Mafioso
Company President / Janitor
Mariachis / Elvis Impersonators
Fur Trapper / Woman with Dog
Baptist Churchgoer / White Supremacist
Amish Teenagers / Punk Teenagers
Bank Robber / Deputies
Astronaut / Alient Abductee
Completed over the course of eight years, Created Equal captures the poignant polarity of contemporary culture.
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