Created Equal ~ Diptychs Depicting the Dichotomy of American Society by Mark Laita

Beauty Salon Customer / Man with Curlers

Company President / Cleaner

French Chef / Short Order Cook

Baptist Minister / Ku Klux Klan

Marine / War Veteran

Polygamists / Pimp

Bodybuilder / Amish Farmer

Young Boxer / Retired Boxer

Lingerie Model / Woman in Girdle

Catholic Nuns / Prostitutes

Ballerina / Boxer

Mariachis / Elvis Impersonators

Fur Trapper / Woman with Dog

Gang Member / Mafioso

Bank Robber / Deputies

Amish Adolescents / Teens punks

Vegetarian / Butcher

Homeless Man / Real Estate Developer

Editorial Review:


"In America, the chasm between rich and poor is growing, the clash between conservatives and liberals is strengthening, and even good and evil seem more polarized than ever before. At the heart of this collection of portraits is my desire to remind us that we were all equal, until our environment, circumstances or fate molded and weathered us into whom we have become." ~Mark Laita

  Los Angeles- and New York-based photographer Mark Laita completed Created Equal over the course of eight years; his poignant words reflect the striking polarizations found in his photographs. Presented as diptychs, the images explore social, economic and gender difference and similarity within the United States, emulating and updating the portraiture of Edward Curtis, August Sander and Richard Avedon. This volume includes an introduction by noted culture writer and editorial cult figure Ingrid Sischy.