Urban Adolescence by Sam Mackey explores the lifestyle of the urban youth backed by notions of self-sufficiency and freedom. These photographs inspect the individuals as both inhabitants and products of their environment. Often taking on adult-like roles, these adolescents develop a tight grasp on responsibility at a young age. Differing drastically from suburban life where children are closely supervised, these youths are trusted to discover life on their own. While the city life holds liveliness and limitless adventure, there is a certain coldness to it as well. Surrounded by deterioration and concrete, these adolescents navigate through the most uncensored version of the world. Expressed through images of the individuals themselves as well as rigid symbols of the city setting, this work challenges the viewer to decide whether growing up in the urban landscape builds strength and character, or if it leads to the development of feelings of mental and emotional solitude.