A traditional dancer and crowd salute Jean-Pierre Bemba as he makes his way to a rally from the airport, Kinshasa 2006

Editor: This photograph by Guy Tillim captures a traditional dancer greeting Jean-Pierre Bemba in Kinshasa. There's such an interesting contrast between the handmade quality of the dancer's platform and the manufactured clothing of the crowd. What do you see in this image? Curator: I'm drawn to the means of production at play. The image layers traditional craft with the spectacle of political rallies. How does the photographer mediate the creation and consumption of such images, both within the local context and for a global audience? Editor: That's fascinating. I hadn't considered the role of the photographer in framing this intersection of tradition and politics. Curator: Exactly. The work invites questions about labor, materiality, and the complex social fabric in which political figures are both elevated and consumed. This makes for a powerful statement.