Randy

Since that first visit, she has returned many times, creating hundreds of portraits and films of him. The series was exhibited at the Bonnefantenmuseum in Maastricht in 2018, alongside the publication of a hardback book which, in addition to the portraits, includes de Puy’s journal entries and reflections on Randy.

What began as a chance encounter has since developed into an intimate, long-term exploration of youth within the vast rural landscape of the American West. At its core lies a sustained connection between artist and subject, built on trust, time, and mutual attentiveness. The pair are regularly in contact via video call, with de Puy describing herself as Randy’s “parent from afar.” As Randy has grown older, his role within the work has shifted: he is no longer only observed, but increasingly engaged in the act of image-making himself.

In July 2026, de Puy will embark on a road trip with Randy, taking him from Nevada to New York for the latest chapter of the series.  Travelling together from Ely to New York City, de Puy and Randy will photograph one another along the way, shaping a shared visual account defined by movement and reciprocity.

“The first time I photographed Randy and asked him to look straight into the lens, I forgot to mention that he was allowed to blink. He stared into the lens until the tears were rolling down his cheeks: not once did he blink. Now I know he needs to be told stay like this, but also blinking allowed!

Other things I now know about Randy: he gets quiet in busy crowds, and he likes Dr. Pepper; he gets really upset when he disappoints someone; he loves animals and is caring in his own way; when he grows up he'd like to have three kids and wants to be a cop; he laughs when he's in pain and is almost always hungry. I also know that Randy makes dance-like moves when the sun goes down (because he's beenfeeling mosquitoes all over his body since learning recently that mosquitoes drink blood), is wondering whether his beloved Mountain Dew actually kills sperm (like his friends told him it did) and smokes his mother’s little cigars – a confession he hadn't dared to make until last night.” 

The New Yorker on RANDY: “De Puy’s most mesmerizing depiction of her subject, though, is not a still but one of the short films that accompany “Randy” in installation. In this video, the boy is visible from the waist up, his gaunt form jouncing through Nevada’s stark, vacant landscape. It takes the viewer a moment to realize that Randy is riding a bike, which remains invisible beneath the camera’s frame.”

“Plain and bracing, the clip conjures the simplest pleasures of childhood adventure—the great weight of a midday sun on open roads, the satisfying rasp of a bicycle chain before curfew. A glare grazes the twin ladders of Randy’s ribs. Wind whiffles his cowlicks. The boy glides forth, his mouth wild, toward a destination that no one else can see.”

Read the full article here.