This is an unpublished project premiered today on C41 Magazine.
Ryan Debolski studied photography at Cranbrook Academy of Art and is now based in Deteroit. He received a Fulbright Fellowship in 2014-2015. His work has been exhibited in North America, Europe, and Asia.
In his projects, he doesn’t only prove to be sensible to meaningful themes he investigates, but also, he pays particular care to the language through which conveys narrations. His images are often characterized by warm tones and vigorous contrast, while his black&white seems to be soft and polished.
About ‘LIKE’ – words by Ryan Debolski:
‘LIKE’ explores the physical and digital relationships of the migrant workers who build the infrastructure of Oman, a rapidly modernizing country rich in oil and natural gas. These men, predominantly from East Africa and the Indian subcontinent, communicate using widely available low-cost smartphones that help them in the process of coping with the social isolation they face while living in camps for years. As quickly as new friends are made, others disappear without a trace, never to be heard from again: workers are deported for various reasons, or shuffled around to different camps throughout the region. ‘LIKE’ is also a book, published by @gnomicbook.
