Dimensions: unconfirmed: 390 x 305 mm
Copyright: © The estate of Keith Arnatt | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: So, this is Keith Arnatt's "Walking the Dog." It's a black and white photograph, and I’m struck by how ordinary it feels. What stands out to you about this image? Curator: Well, it's precisely that ordinariness that Arnatt exploits. He's pointing to the socio-economic landscape, the often-unseen public housing estates. Do you notice the woman's direct gaze and the dog's nervousness? Editor: I do. It makes me a bit uncomfortable. Curator: Exactly. Arnatt is questioning the social function of photography itself. Who gets represented, and how? Is he simply documenting reality, or is he making a statement about class and representation in British society? Editor: That's interesting. I hadn't considered the social commentary. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure. Art often holds up a mirror to the world, reflecting back what we might otherwise overlook.
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Walking the Dog is a large series of black and white photographs of individuals standing outside with their dogs. While the locations depicted in the photographs vary from street pavements and country lanes to parks and gardens, all the images in this series share consistent formal characteristics: in each case the single owner stands full-length in the centre of the image facing the camera with the dog at their feet, and no other human or animal can be seen within the tightly framed square shot.
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