Mother's #19 Possibly 2001 - 2014

Ishiuchi Miyako made this photograph, Mother’s #19, it's a small black and white print of her mother's hairbrush. It looks like the brush is standing in a glass. I'm thinking about Ishiuchi carefully considering this utilitarian object; a clear plastic brush with its bristles catching the light and a number of stray dark hairs. The image is so intimate, almost forensic. What could she have been thinking as she made it? What was it like for her mother to use this brush, over and over? Ishiuchi's work resonates with that of other photographers who capture the quiet beauty of everyday life. It's a reminder that artists are in an ongoing conversation, inspiring each other’s creativity across time. Looking at it, I’m reminded of how artists are constantly reinterpreting the world.