Buck Ellison on skewering America's super-rich in photographs

Artist Buck Ellison discusses his photographic series that critiques the visual language of America's wealthy elite. His work stages scenes mimicking the aesthetics of privilege—leisure, private schools, family compounds—to expose the coded signals of class. Ellison's images are meticulously constructed, often using models and props to recreate the banality and exclusion of upper-class life. He draws from source material like society pages, prep school yearbooks, and corporate archives. The artist aims to reveal how power naturalizes itself through seemingly innocent imagery. Ellison's practice has gained attention for its sharp social commentary and deadpan style, with recent exhibitions in Europe and the US.