A powerful portrait from Sedrick Huckaby's '99%' series, capturing a young man in a moment of candid reflection with accompanying handwritten dialogue.

Sedrick Huckaby is a Texas-based artist known for his focus on the human condition and the dignity of his subjects. This work belongs to his '99%' series, a collection of portraits that document individuals from his community in Fort Worth. The title refers to the socio-economic demographic often discussed in contemporary political discourse, yet Huckaby shifts the focus from statistics to the individual.

The portrait depicts a young man, identified as Little D, captured in a moment of quiet contemplation. His arms are crossed, a posture that suggests both resilience and a defensive stance. The artist employs a gestural, expressive line quality, using charcoal-like marks that build form through layers of graphite and ink. The sketch-like application of medium creates a sense of immediacy, as if the viewer is witnessing the artist at work in the studio.

At the base of the composition, Huckaby includes a handwritten dialogue: 'Where are you working?' followed by the response, 'No where. You know where I can get a job?'. This inclusion of text transforms the portrait into a narrative document. It grounds the subject in a specific reality, addressing themes of unemployment and economic struggle without resorting to abstraction. The stark contrast between the dark, heavy lines of the figure and the clean, white background ensures the focus remains entirely on the subject's expression and the weight of his words. This print captures the intersection of personal identity and broader social experience, presented with a raw, unvarnished honesty that is characteristic of Huckaby's practice.