Paris 7B 1951 - 1952

Robert Frank’s ‘Paris 7B’ is a photographic contact sheet, printed on matte paper. It's like looking at a painter's discarded sketches—the raw material that eventually leads to a more resolved statement. This reminds me of my own practice, actually. I often feel like the interesting stuff happens in the studio when I'm just messing around, trying things out. I can imagine Frank walking the streets of Paris, camera in hand, always looking, always searching for the perfect shot. He probably didn't know exactly what he was looking for until he found it. Look how he’s marked some of the frames with a big number ‘7’. It’s a trace of his thinking. These little frames invite us into his world, his way of seeing. I like how these small moments accumulate, each one informing the next. It speaks to this ongoing conversation between artists. We're all building on what came before, trying to make sense of the world in our own way. The images that are left out tell a story too. In art, maybe like in life, the process is as important as the end result.