ICP Teen Academy
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Jules Mehlman
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
We are UNFINISHED. Since the moment you were born, you started your journey into finishing the path of life. Regret. Regret is something that everybody struggles with, regardless of who you are. At the end of your life, if you have no regret or have made no bad decisions, I guess you could consider yourself “finished.” But everybody has something they regret—even small things.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS explores the idea that people, places, and events will always have something left to do, or something they regret doing. UNFINISHED BUSINESS could be things that have not taken shape yet like the uncertainty of young adulthood, s omeone who looks especially disheveled as they rush to work, or people who are soon to be forgotten. Going around New York City, I found myself asking people a few different questions: “What is something that you regret?” and when they answer, I like to follow up with, “How is this preventing you from becoming complete?” From this question, I get a lot of different responses, ranging from silly things to deep personal problems that I like to listen to and write down. I hope to demonstrate these instances visually—inviting viewers to explore what around them is UNFINISHED.
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Jules Mehlman was born in Brooklyn, New York,
and raised in Maplewood, New Jersey. He is currently studying photography at Columbia
High School in Maplewood and the International Center of Photography,
focusing on conceptual work through digital and darkroom practices. He is
currently a student in ICP’s Teen Academy Imagemakers program. Jules came across one of his father’s old digital cameras
at a young age and learned that he was able to express himself in ways that he
never knew were possible. Jules explores the streets of New York City
through the lens of his passion for street photography and documentary
practice. Jules hopes to continue his exploration of photography in college at
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.