Mijnbouw en groepsportretten 1929 - 1930

Curator: Here we have "Mijnbouw en groepsportretten"—which translates to "Mining and Group Portraits"—a gelatin-silver print likely created between 1929 and 1930. What stands out to you? Editor: There's a stark contrast between the three scenes—each with such different emotional temperatures. The top one of the mine itself just screams of industrial exploitation, while the other two suggest an almost…performative colonialism. Curator: That’s a perceptive reading. Mining as extraction from the earth has often served as a symbol for the extraction of culture, identity, and labor. These pictures form a narrative with complicated colonial undercurrents. The workers toil, while the colonizers dine and pose, separated by class, race, and opportunity. Editor: Exactly. You see it, right? All are posed to exert dominance, whether through the industrial scale of the mining image, the jovial social dynamics, or the individual display between servants and…I assume, masters. What is so striking to me is that it seems carefully crafted, and staged to project authority. The stark visual style—the gelatin silver print—adds to this impression of rigid clarity, almost an aggressive clarity, because it belies the exploitation that created these scenes. Curator: Gelatin-silver prints allowed for incredible detail and tonal range, perfectly suited for this kind of documentarian, objective approach, which only makes it more intriguing because what could be more human than being in a group. However, what makes these group pictures disturbing is that the unity of these communities seems transactional, rooted in hierarchy, with deep symbolic connections that resonate to our moment in time. The photo featuring the staff presents cultural symbolism; perhaps these objects relate to power and status in this society? Editor: I agree, there is almost a theater being played here that belies any pretense of simply capturing what is going on. Look closely and you’ll see the different values each scene embodies through work, recreation, or even coerced representation. Curator: An uncomfortable artifact from a complex history. Food for thought. Editor: Indeed. Something to remember on our own paths towards consumption and pleasure.