In the follow-up to his breakout monograph I Can't Stand To See You Cry, Rahim Fortune’s Hardtack explores fundamental questions about American identity through the landscapes of Texas and the American South. Spanning nearly a decade of photographic work, Fortune’s striking portraits of coming-of-age traditions reflect the deep ties that bind modern Black communities resiliently within the post-emancipation Americas. “I think that Black Americans on the heels of slavery understood very quickly the power of photography and the power of making one’s own self-image. I’m very interested in that as its own kind of canon,” Fortune explains. Focusing on the narratives of individual families and communities, Hardtack explores the long-enduring nature of Black culture and traditions alongside shifting geographies of migration and resettlement.

Section-sewn clothbound debossed hardcover, 144 pages
Loose Joints, 2024
Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 11.3 inches