Forgotten – Boy wearing a baseball helmet on a New York staircase by Arjen Roos

Forgotten shows a quiet moment in a city that never stands still. A boy sits on the bottom step of a New York brownstone. Next to him lies a baseball helmet, as if he has just come from somewhere or is about to be picked up at any moment. Yet he remains seated, while the world around him continues.

Adults walk past him and disappear from view. Their movements fade into dark shadows, while the boy remains sharply and motionlessly present. There is no interaction, no glance, only distance and time passing. The contrast between stillness and movement forms the core of the work.

The scene exudes the atmosphere of New York in the 1970s: raw, urban and human. The red baseball cap serves as a subtle accent of colour within a subdued palette of blue and grey tones. The controlled lighting keeps the boy visible, while the surroundings become softer and blurred.

This work is part of the Olafique collection, a series in which I am inspired by the narrative and cinematographic work of Erwin Olaf. As in his photography, the focus is not on the action, but on the moment before or after — an image full of silence, tension and room for interpretation.

Forgotten invites the viewer to pause and reflect on a moment that easily passes by in the pace of everyday life.