There is a quiet image in Michael Young’s project Maybe Tomorrow, that steals my attention and tugs at my heart unexpectedly every time I see it. In the middle of a dark tangle of branches and thorny thicket, there is a child’s playhouse. It is crooked, and the roof is caving in, but it is glowing as if a bit of sun were caught inside. Even in its imperfect state, it looks like a safe, sweet haven in the inhospitable woods.

A play house is a funny thing- it’s a little oasis for the imagination of a child and it is also where children’s play mimics adult reality. They pretend to play roles that are much more complex than they can understand at the time. For me, this image softly articulates a central theme in Young’s work. For this project, Young is traveling to the small midwestern hometown of his partner. While there, he examines how gender norms are woven into the culture. His images observe how residents both inhabit and subtly challenge these roles. In my mind, I take each person back to that playhouse, before they are so shaped by the culture of the place, of the town, of the region.

- Mia

See more of Michael’s work here