State of Presence: Women's History Month Pop-Up Exhibit, on view from March 6 through 9, 2026 at the Bronx Documentary Center, celebrates the work of five contemporary female photographers who explore what it means to inhabit space with awareness and intention. Featuring Cat Byrnes, Lex Kim, Lucka Ngô, Sabrina Santiago, and Emily Sujay Sanchez, the exhibition focuses on presence as an active, shifting experience—moments of stillness and movement, attention and reflection, vulnerability and assertion.
The images in State of Presence capture intimate, everyday encounters that often go unnoticed. Byrnes’ work, ranging from contemplative solitude to vibrant street life, examines the interplay between public and private personas, while Kim’s documentary-focused practice emphasizes long-term engagement with her subjects, revealing layered stories through nuanced observation. Ngô’s photography, shaped by her Vietnamese-Czech heritage and Bronx upbringing, foregrounds the quiet rhythms of community life, cultivating trust and connection with the people she photographs. Santiago transforms fleeting gestures and encounters into reflections on identity and belonging, drawing from street photography’s tradition of immediacy. Sanchez documents emotionally charged moments in the Bronx, blurring the line between observer and participant to create visual narratives that resonate with intimacy and honesty.
Together, these artists explore presence as both a personal and social concept. A returned gaze, a moment of pause, or a body asserting itself in space becomes a statement of visibility and resilience. The exhibition invites viewers to consider how everyday actions, gestures, and interactions shape our sense of self and community. Through careful composition, attention to detail, and empathetic observation, the photographers reveal the complexity of presence as lived experience.
Curated by the staff of the Bronx Documentary Center, State of Presence honors Women’s History Month by highlighting diverse voices and perspectives, creating a dialogue around visibility, empowerment, and the artistry of everyday life. It is a space where the quiet and the immediate coexist, reflecting the multiplicity of ways women claim and navigate public and private worlds.
Image: © Cat Byrnes, courtesy of the Bronx Documentary Center
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