On a rainy March evening, a group of roughly a hundred people huddled inside the Eastern Projects art gallery in Chinatown for the opening of “Un-Rehearsed,” the first solo show for photographer Merrick Morton, on display until May 18. Adorning the walls of the space are more than 100 images spanning a 40-year trajectory— selections from his travels in Mexico and Cuba, and stills from various films where he worked as on-set photographer.
Cazarin, who was at the show opening, says the image of him posing with two friends in front of a mural of the crucifixion of Jesus is a reminder of the life he left behind— he's in the middle in the image above, wearing the black tank top. The photograph also graces the cover of Morton’s book. “I am a recovering addict,” he says. “Twenty-one years clean. It was a hard life for anyone growing up in that era. But I learned never to shut the backdoor.