A project reflecting on the realities of aging and loss by Jamaican-American artist Don Brodie. Brodie earned his degree in photography from Parsons The New School for Design in New York. Rooted in personal and cultural experiences, Brodie’s work explores identity, texture, and emotion through both still and moving images. He is also the co-founder of Forgotten Lands, an independent publisher dedicated to authentic Caribbean art, culture, and dialogue. Brodie began this series in 2020. It focuses on long-overlooked health diagnoses within his own family, specifically his father’s dementia and the passing of his eldest and only sister. The project is an attempt to trace a journey through grief, aging, and legacy. It reveals the quiet strength required to care for loved ones while confronting one’s own vulnerability.
In many Caribbean households, aging and mental health remain taboo. “Leave it to the Lord” is a common phrase that offers comfort, yet often leaves deeper struggles unspoken. Through this work, Brodie explores the tension between cultural expectations and the lived realities of caregiving, blurring the line between family archive and artistic inquiry. Photographed across New York, Maryland, Florida, and his sister’s resting waters in Jamaica, this body of work captures candid moments, formal portraits, and quiet details that speak to the ever-evolving story of family.
Don Brodie participated in our 2025 Booooooom Art & Photo Book Award and made our shortlist.
