New York 1987

Rosalind Solomon made this gelatin silver print, New York, sometime during her career. Look at the figure in the photograph – the tattoos, piercings, and the cross on the pillowcase. I imagine Solomon setting up her camera, considering how to capture the complex layers of identity and belief embodied in her sitter. What was the relationship between the artist and the model? How did they decide on this pose, this setting? Solomon’s use of black and white creates a stark contrast, highlighting the textures of the skin and the fabric, and drawing attention to the way identity is performed and constructed through markings on the body, and religious symbol. This image reminds me of other photographers like Nan Goldin, who have fearlessly documented the intimate lives of their subjects. Like those artists, Solomon uses the camera to explore questions of mortality, spirituality, and the human condition. There’s something so universal about the questions she poses, a reminder that art is always in conversation with itself, building on past ideas to explore new territories of the soul.