A new mini-documentary is giving a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to be an artist in Detroit right now. Directed by local photographer Vuhlandes, Sticks & Stones explores local neighborhoods and his own creative life in the city.
“I was just a boy who grew up poor with absolutely nothing,” Vuhlandes writes on YouTube. “And, even though I’m in the streets, photography gave me a way to stay out. Throughout my years as a photographer, I have grown and found who I was not only as an artist but also as a person.”
Vuhlandes, who has worked with the likes of HUF, FTP, and Born x Raised, captures friends and acquaintances, deploying them as muses and models. Gang life, the threat of violence, and poverty are prominent in his work, but the photographer believes he is only capturing the reality of the world.
“I’m not expecting everyone to understand or even agree with my work, I just want to be respected as an artist,” Vuhlandes writes. “We all put our lives on the line whenever we leave the comfort of our homes, but some of us have to worry just a little bit more than others.”
Check out the short documentary above and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
In other news, Raf Simons debuts the “HEROES” pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness.
