Tony and Coupe 

Alfred Conteh’s figures, rendered against what appears to be a peeling wall, immediately evoke a sense of the passage of time. The ‘No Loitering’ sign above them crystallizes this feeling, a stark decree against lingering, against existing in place. Consider the gesture of pointing, seen throughout art history, often associated with imparting knowledge or indicating a path. Here, it seems to accuse or direct away. The backdrop, with its cracked facade, resembles the effects of time on the human body and the urban landscape, embodying a palpable tension between presence and prohibition. These men existing in a space that doesn't want them there creates a cycle of exclusion and marginalization. The sign almost becomes a psychological projection of societal anxieties, turning public space into a battleground of belonging and rejection. The image resonates with a deeper cultural memory.