About the Book
An incomparable, honest document of one of the biggest uprisings in American history.
New York City Rising: Protests, Rallies, & Police Riots, 2020-2021 is a collection of images shot by Ruvan Wijesooriya
from May 2020 to May 2021 during the police riots and protests
surrounding the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter
movement. The chronological story begins with the police riots in
Chinatown and Barclay's Center on May 29th and ends with the anniversary
of George Floyd's murder. It offers a foreground, a middle, and a
background for the breadth of the movement, and reveals a sincere
fascination with and dedication to defining the city--his home for two
decades--as he captures a transformation.
Ruvan Wijesooriya is known for his interactive
exhibitions and his photography in music, fashion, and nightlife--much of
it being captured in motion and relating to cultural evolution, youth
rebellion, appropriation, and re-use of public space. After being paid a
kill fee by a national magazine when he turned in his photos of the
police riots, Ruvan knew the real story was not being told. He began
shooting for a range of protest organizations. The result is this visual
story about NYC during the biggest uprising in American history.
New York City Rising includes contributions from Qween Jean, K.O. Nnamdie, Shawn Batey, and Enos Nyamor.
