Dee Dee (also Street Map #3) Possibly 1988 - 1994

Jim Goldberg made this black and white photograph, Dee Dee (also Street Map #3), with photographic paper. He is looking at mark-making as a process, not just the subject. This is about the process of photography as much as the people captured. The interplay of light and shadow in this photograph is really what makes it sing. Look at the strong contrast of the figure’s shadow against the wall, its almost as if there are two figures present. Then notice the surface; Goldberg’s print has a tactile quality, like you could run your fingers over the grain. He doesn't obscure the process, it's right there for you. That hand offering a cigarette feels dangerous. It’s a small gesture, but its placement is so central. This area feels loaded, like a key to the whole piece. Goldberg reminds me of Diane Arbus, another photographer who fearlessly explored the margins of society. Like Arbus, Goldberg isn’t afraid to embrace the ambiguity and complexities of the human experience.