A year ago Isaac “Drift” Wright (@driftershoots) was incarcerated over his work on a $400,000 bond, this week, as a free man, he becomes the youngest African American photographer - and first urban exploring photographer to ever be auctioned at @sothebys.
This time last year, after having already been incarcerated for months and awaiting release, prosecutors justified the outrageous bond citing Wright’s military background in Army special operations as a valid argument as to why he would be too dangerous to be a free man.
In the face of nearly impossible odds Wright continued to build, emerging from incarceration and battling not only as black man in the face of the justice system but as an artist, continuing to bring his work to the world. He’s often stated that artists are supposed to be the most disruptive members of society, a constant challenge to what we know and illuminators to what could be. In sharing his story with the @nytimes he stated “Not everything illegal is immoral,” and it’s clear that many in the world see his work and believe the same.
Today a piece from Wright’s famous “Where My Vans Go” collection sits in Sothebys as the collection soars to even greater heights, having grossed nearly 10 million dollars and counting. Wright continues to explore options of using the tools of web 3 to provide opportunities for incarcerated and rehabilitation after post release. What was the dream of one man incarcerated a year ago is now a ripple effect that is sure to inspire millions now and in the years to come. Wright’s impact is soon to be as expansive as his work that we have grown to love, embodying his catch phrase “To the moon and never back.” From writing paragraphs on cell walls to exhibiting in the one of the world’s greatest art auction house a year later, Wright is a testament to the indomitable power of the human spirit and the true soul of the artist-climbing towards something largely unseen until one day the whole world sees.
