Visual Autobiography 1975

Curator: James Henkel's "Visual Autobiography," held here at the Harvard Art Museums, presents us with a collection of scattered photographs. It measures 46 by 37 centimeters. Editor: The first thing I notice is the casual arrangement, or perhaps disarrangement, and the somber black and white tones. There's a vulnerability here, like exposed memories. Curator: Right, Henkel seems to be playing with the very notion of self-representation. The scattered images subvert traditional portraiture and linear narratives of the self. It challenges the museum’s role in codifying biographical narratives. Editor: And the use of photographs as relics of a lived past is potent. Each image, a small fragment holding stories, emotions, a whole existence compressed into a rectangle. It resembles the ephemerality of identity. Curator: It does make you wonder about the power structures that create these narratives. What is included, what is excluded? Editor: Indeed. Looking at this, I think about how we all curate our lives, editing our own stories. Curator: A fascinating exploration of identity. Editor: Truly. A visual puzzle of the self.