Nicholas Nixon: Persistence of Vision Exhibit Review

This past February I had the pleasure of visiting Nicholas Nixon’s photo exhibit at the ICA. Nixon’s exhibit is a series that captures family, love, relationships, and life through the shooting of the Brown sisters from the year of 1975 and the last picture taken in 2016. The photos themselves are beautiful and tell the story of the sisters.

When I first walked into the room I was overwhelmed and by accident started at the end of the photos. After moving to the first photo I made my way down the wall. I often found myself looking back and forth between two photos, pointing out the differences within the year. At the end of the photos I found myself going back to the first photo and comparing the differences.

On this day I happened to be at the ICA with my whole family. Going through the pictures with my sister and brother by my side made me think about our family memories and how much people can change over time. The photos are perfectly done. The stares of the sisters made it look like they were peering into your soul. Besides the photos of the sister, along the walls are photos of sicks and dying people, many of which have been affected by AIDS. These photos were especially hard to look at and almost make you feel uncombable, sad and thankful all in one. They are heartbreaking, but beautiful.

If you have a chance I would recommend checking out this exhibit, and I would recommend going with a loved one. Nixon’s work is powerful, a go see for sure.