When Memory and Images Converse by Brian Byrd

Brian Byrd is a freelance photographer with more than two decades of experience advancing communication as a catalyst for social change. He serves on the board of directors for the Overseas Press Club of America and the advisory board for WITNESS, a global NGO founded by musician Peter Gabriel that uses video and digital technology to document human rights violations.

Annie Leibovitz's Stream of Consciousness

In the world of art curation, chronological arrangements have long been the default, offering visitors a neat, temporal progression through an artist's work. However, Annie Leibovitz's Stream of Consciousness at Hauser & Wirth New York demonstrates how breaking free from these temporal constraints can create a more profound and emotionally resonant experience.

"Exhibitions of my work are usually arranged chronologically," said Ms. Leibovitz. "The images tell a story shaped by time. But there are some photographs–Georgia O'Keeffe's red hill, the portrait of Joan Didion in Central Park–that rhyme with photographs from other places, other times. They aren't moored to the moment they were made. I keep returning to these images."

This revelation offers insight into why, in Stream of Consciousness, Leibovitz transforms the gallery space into a realm of discovery where unexpected connections flourish. A portrait of Ketanji Brown Jackson might converse across time with one of Stephen Hawking, while intimate shots from the "Selldorf Suite" echo against sweeping landscapes. This approach mirrors how our minds naturally work – not in rigid timelines, but through associations, memories, and emotional links that transcend chronological boundaries.

The power of this non-linear structure lies in its ability to engage viewers as active participants rather than passive observers. Like pieces of a visual puzzle, each photograph gains new meaning through its proximity to others, encouraging visitors to forge their own pathways through the exhibition. The experience becomes deeply personal, as each viewer's unique perspective and life experiences inform how they interpret these juxtapositions.

Leibovitz's approach reveals how photographs, like memories, can evolve and gain new significance over time. A portrait taken decades ago might suddenly resonate with a contemporary image in ways that weren't apparent at the moment of capture. By freeing these works from the constraints of time, the exhibition allows them to breathe and form new dialogues, reflecting the fluid, associative nature of creative thought itself.

This structure also serves to deepen emotional engagement. When works are arranged chronologically, viewers often focus on tracking artistic evolution or historical progression. But when freed from these temporal markers, they can focus more deeply on the emotional and thematic threads that bind different works together, creating a richer, more immersive experience that speaks to the universal aspects of human experience.

Georgia O'Keeffe's red hill, Ghost Ranch, New Mexico 2024 © Annie Leibovitz. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth

Faith Ringgold, Englewood, New Jersey 2024 © Annie Leibovitz. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth

Elvis Presley’s TV, Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee 2024 © Annie Leibovitz. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth

Cindy Sherman, Springs, East Hampton, New York 2024 © Annie Leibovitz. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth

Glacier Lagoon, Iceland 2024 © Annie Leibovitz. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth

Michael Heizer’s City, Garden Valley, Nevada 2024 © Annie Leibovitz. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth

A Departure from Convention

Stream of Consciousness marks a significant departure from Leibovitz's previous exhibitions in several key ways. Earlier shows typically followed more conventional formats, focusing either on her iconic celebrity portraits or presenting deeply personal family images in a chronological sequence. Her previous retrospectives often emphasized the bold, staged portraits that made her famous or created linear narratives through her personal life experiences.

This exhibition breaks from tradition by taking a more introspective and interconnected approach. Instead of segregating her work into distinct categories – celebrity portraits in one section, personal work in another – this exhibition integrates diverse subjects into a unified whole. Landscapes, still lifes, and portraits are woven together based on visual and thematic resonances rather than when they were taken or who they depict.

The "Selldorf Suite," which opens the exhibition, exemplifies this new direction. These intimate black-and-white photographs of architect Annabelle Selldorf's minimalist Manhattan apartment set a contemplative tone that's markedly different from the dramatic celebrity portraits she's known for. This series establishes a more nuanced exploration of space, light, and personal environment that threads throughout the rest of the show.

Perhaps most significantly, this exhibition illuminates Leibovitz's creative process itself. Rather than presenting her work as a series of finished masterpieces or biographical moments, it reveals the associative thinking that drives her artistic practice. Images connect across decades, suggesting how one photograph might spark ideas for another or gain new meaning through unexpected juxtapositions. This approach highlights the evolving life of an image over time, rather than fixing it to a particular moment or context in her career.

By emphasizing these thematic and visual connections over chronological storytelling, Leibovitz invites viewers to engage with her work in a more contemplative and personal way than her previous exhibitions have allowed. It's a mature artist's reflection not just on what she has photographed, but on how she thinks about photography itself. In this way, non-linear exhibition structures don't just present art – they create a space for contemplation, discovery, and personal meaning-making that more closely mirrors how we experience and make sense of the world around us.

Stream of Consciousness is at the Hauser & Wirth NYC Gallery until January 11, 2025.

When Memory and Images Converse by Brian Byrd

Annie Leibovitz's Stream of Consciousness

A Departure from Convention

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