If you can grasp everything with one look, is the message truly that powerful? Clean, uncomplicated, clear messages scream loudly but disappear quickly, blind to the messy, conflicted tension simmering underneath. Enduring images worth returning to time and time again share the ability to hold layers of conflicting messages in a single frame. Embrace the mess and fragility in our environments and our lives; thinking is worth the effort.

Jörg M. Colberg, Review: Brian Ulrich at Julie Saul, discussing Brian Ulrich’s new show of images from Thrift and Dark Stores, surveying the landscape of consumption and consumerism:

I have always thought that Brian’s portrayal of people inside the various stores really made his images stand out. Regardless of the insanity of some of the places they are in, Brian’s subjects come across as human beings – always a bit fragile, often a bit lost, always treated with a lot of respect and empathy. And it is this empathy that makes Brian’s work so special and that will make it last. We are, after all, all consumers – whether we like it or not.

There are photographers who simply stick their cameras into people’s faces to create unflattering portraits of them shopping, thinking they are making profound statement about consumerism. But if you think about it, all they do is to make fun of people in a way that shows that they really don’t care. So why should we care?

… what makes Brian’s work so special is that he stays away from this kind of photography. It’s not done for effect. It’s not about grossing people out. It’s not about cheap laughs. It’s not about the surface. It’s about us … It’s about what we do to ourselves.

Related: DLK Collection: Brian Ulrich, Thrift and Dark Stores @Saul