Who is Isaac Wright? Popular photographer arrested after years of scaling NYC buildings

Isaac Wright- a lensman known for trapezing young house of york urban center’s skyline for the hone camera clicks- found himself in a sticky situation on May 15 when a group of undercover police officers showed up to his first gallery opening to arrest him for the very art so many people were present to appreciate him for. Known for his daring clicks and fresh perspectives, this is not Wright’s first rodeo with the law.

From the expanse of the Queensboro Bridge to the heights of the Empire State Building, Wright has captured it all. Armed with a camera in hand and grit in heart, most of Wright’s best-selling pictures have much to do with him climbing the most scathing buildings in the city and delivering pictures from heights that only few could ever dream of reaching. However, with the regard and respect bound to flow in from his daring work, this urban climber has a tendency to invite trouble as well.

Having served as a paratrooper in the US Army, many believe that Wright’s affinity for risk came as a result of the depression he faced after being stationed at an army base in Louisiana. Since 2018, he has taken it upon himself to do what most people can’t- a silent but steady way of fighting the system on his own terms. Though thrilling to see in spirit, Wright’s adventures have an affinity of playing with the lines of legality as well.

The famed photographer spent four months in prison way back in 2020 following a massive inter-city manhunt to capture the person responsible for trespassing three structures in Cincinnati by illegally climbing them. The hunt involved the police foraging several states and even shutting down an entire highway to capture the “mastermind”.

Following his release, Wright chose to turn to legal means for a change and started selling his pictures online on NFT- a move that added $10 million to his bank account. Despite being shrouded in controversy, his work started demanding the attention of high-rollers and urban aspirants alike, leading to his first solo exhibition ‘Coming Home’ at the Robert Mann Gallery in Manhattan.

Wright’s efforts to legitimise and ground his artwork in more traditional settings suffered a major blow when plainclothes officers at his debut exhibition made a discreet arrest at the end of the night. The charges came as a result of his continued passion for scaling buildings illegally, the most recent of which involved the iconic Empire State Building. This involved a 2024 incident where Wright took the tourist elevator to the 102nd floor and managed to slip past security cameras to take a picture of the skyline right from the pier of one of New York’s tallest structures.

“I was just completely stunned,” said Mr Robert Mann, the owner of the gallery. “Ansel Adams probably trespassed in his day to get a great photo; plenty of photographers did. But in all my years, I have never seen an artist taken out of an opening in cuffs.” Vitaliy Raskalov, a fellow urban climber and photographer, remarked, “Sixteen years of exploring, so many exhibitions, I’ve never seen anyone get arrested at an exhibition. It’s nonsense.” The cops, however, claimed that since Mr Wright lived out of town, his ensured attendance on that fateful night mandated the arrest.

Wright, however, following his release the next day, was willing to cut some more slack to those in uniform. “They waited until the night was pretty much over. They gave me that. For the first time, someone tried to understand who I was and show some humanity. I was never offered that before, and I really appreciate it,” he said.

The display remains on in the Robert Mann Gallery till June 28.

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