New York City 2 c. 1950s

This is Robert Frank's photographic contact sheet, "New York City 2". Imagine Frank in the darkroom, hunched over, squinting at this very sheet. He probably used a loupe, that magnifying glass for photos, searching for the decisive moment in those tiny frames. The film strip offers a look into a kind of image-making, a pre-digital method of trial and error. Like a painter's sketch, it allows us to witness the evolution of Frank's vision as he captured fleeting moments of urban life. Each frame offers a different perspective, a slight shift in composition, a nuanced change in light. I like how the physicality of the medium is apparent – the sprocket holes, the frame edges, and the smudges all feel like they are part of the artwork itself. This piece is like a peek inside his mind, offering a window into the creative choices that shaped his iconic view of America. He was in conversation with the world, and with himself.