Expand and Contract: Notes about American Documentary Photography in the 21st Century (In-Person)

Jul 25, 2026 – Sep 12, 2026

This third edition of Expand and Contract focuses on American photography today, asking how documentary perspectives were shaped by larger societal, technological and geopolitical shifts of the first quarter of the twenty-first century. This exhibition offers a modest and earnest attempt to consider how America sees itself, what it highlights and what might be missing from the frame, beginning with the turn of the century and 9/11, exploring protests, conditions of living, and the aftermath of wildfires.

Exhibiting Artists

Isadora Kosofsky | Susan Meisels | Keva Rosenfeld | John Senese | Eric Smith | Marcus Ubungen

Curator

Dr. Rotem Rozental, Los Angeles Center of Photography Executive Director and Chief Curator.

Opening Reception (In-Person)

July 25, 3 – 5pm with a walkthrough at 3:30pm RSVP HERE

Exhibition Run Dates (In-Person)

July 25 – September 12, 2026

About

This third edition of Expand and Contract focuses on American photography today, now that the first quarter of the twenty-first century has drawn to a close. It asks whether this first quarter-century of photographic production has characteristics shaped by larger societal, technological and geopolitical shifts. This is not an attempt to offer a sweeping view of documentary photography in the US in recent decades. Rather, this exhibition is a modest and earnest attempt to consider how America sees itself, what it highlights and what might be missing from the frame, beginning with the turn of the century and 9/11, exploring protests, conditions of living, and the aftermath of wildfires.

Documentary is a complex field of practice, which has a deep (and at times contentious) relationship with representation or the lack thereof. This exhibition suggests such tensions should be highlighted, as well as the ways in which photographers capture their own communities and stories now.

Susan Meiselas takes the viewer to the border, creating its physical presence in the space with a photographic mural, shown alongside compilations of videos grabbed from social media and other digital sources, depicting deportations and conflicts with ICE agents. Isadora Kosofsky looks at the lives of families with incarcerated parents at twelve men’s and women’s prisons in Florida. Eric Smith has been chronicling the protests in Los Angeles, between 2016-2026, beginning with the first Trump presidency. Marcus Ubungen has been returning to Altadena to capture portraits of residents, and the incongruities between incomprehensible devastation and persistent rebuilding efforts.

Documentary filmmaker Keva Rosenfeld’s intimate Polaroid portraits of some of the most famous people in the world capture a culture in transition, triggered by the rise of digital technology. John Senese shares a never-before-seen series about the World Trade Center and 9/11, depicting a world shifting forever in front of the lens.