Mom Holding Mr. Art 2005

Editor: So here we have LaToya Ruby Frazier’s photographic work from 2005, “Mom Holding Mr. Art,” a gelatin silver print. There’s such an intimacy captured in black and white. What do you see in this piece that really grabs you? Curator: Oh, Frazier's work! It’s more than just seeing, isn't it? It’s feeling. The way she uses light, almost raw, and those textures...you can almost feel the warmth of their bodies and the weight of their embrace, can’t you? The name "Mr. Art" alone invites so many thoughts, who is he, or is this artist's humor or love that comes through? What does the name trigger in you, as you engage with this tender embrace? Editor: I was curious about the title as well, I thought it suggested this precious object and I started wondering whether it represented him more broadly. Curator: Exactly! Frazier, in so many ways, isn't just documenting life; she's holding a mirror to her community, inviting a deeply personal experience that transcends what we think a “photograph” should do. I think of family portraits by Dawoud Bey, or maybe even back to some of the rawer stuff by the Ashcan School. Don’t you get a sense of that directness? Editor: I can see that! So how do you think knowing more about Frazier’s background, the place where she's from, impacts how we view this particular photograph? Curator: Hugely. Knowing her roots in Braddock, Pennsylvania – the struggles, the resilience – it all bleeds into this image. These aren't just anonymous figures; they are reflections of her world, imbued with love, vulnerability, and this unspoken strength. It transforms it. What’s the biggest thing *you’re* taking away from seeing this piece? Editor: How the personal becomes powerfully universal. Frazier is documenting something deeply important. Curator: Precisely. And maybe that's what all the best art does – invites us to see ourselves in each other.