Matthew 1965

Editor: So, this is Kenneth Josephson's "Matthew" from 1965, a black and white photograph. It shows a young boy holding up a photograph in front of his face, seemingly mirroring the brick wall behind him. It’s a bit of a head-scratcher at first glance. What's your interpretation? Curator: Considering Josephson's work through a materialist lens, it invites us to question the photographic process itself. Think about it: what is being captured here? It's not simply a child, but a series of layered representations. The materiality of photography – the film, the printing process, the very act of reproduction – becomes central. What social codes about children and the production of memories are highlighted or disrupted by the artwork? Editor: So you're saying the picture within the picture makes us think about how photographs are made and what they're meant to show? Curator: Exactly. The photo creates distance from an unmediated experience. What labor goes into producing both photographs – the boy in the picture and the photograph held up. Notice that Josephson has captured an image within an image, calling into question what it means to “capture reality”. Moreover, the choice of a brick wall, such an ordinary object, makes us think about the constructed environments of childhood, and all of the materials of childhood memories, captured as an image. Editor: It is a strange and wonderful conceptual piece when considering process over product. I originally focused only on its simple form and was unable to grasp its commentary on manufactured, photographic representations. Curator: Thinking about the layers of production embedded in seemingly simple works, allows us to grapple with broader questions of authenticity and representation.