On January 1, 2020, artist Howard Leu followed through, like many of us do at the beginning of a new year, on a resolution he’d set for himself: take one photograph a day, every day, for the coming year. Perhaps for fun, perhaps to hold himself accountable, he posted to Instagram his first image: an enigmatic self-portrait—his eyes steady with brows quizzically raised; the instrument of composition, his camera, offered up to the viewer as an equally worthy subject of consideration; while in the background a sliver of a mirror provides a faint glimpse of a perspective we’re ultimately not permitted. Thematically diverse yet all of a piece, the images that follow in Leu’s photo-a-day project remain true to the dawning vision of this first essential photograph, his invitation to the viewer a balancing act between intimacy and elusivity, and a window into what is clearly a solemn practice. Informed by but never hyperbolized by the dramatic events of 2020, Leu’s project—based in Milwaukee and primarily in the Riverwest neighborhood—lures us into a perpetual loop of looking, as he chronicles and captures with candor and wonder the ordinary moments of an extraordinary year.

Howard Leu is a photographer and curator based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. By day, he’s a designer and marketer at Artfluent. The rest of the time, he’s either fly-fishing, road-tripping on his bike, learning to cook all the Korean dishes, or preparing for space travel. An accomplished photographer, Howard’s work has been exhibited in galleries and featured in several local and national publications. He shoots with a Nikon FX DSLR, usually with his favorite 50mm prime lens. He’s also an avid film shooter and has a black-and-white darkroom.