Untitled 1992

Editor: This is an Untitled photograph by Thomas Roma, created in 1992. It's a gelatin silver print, so it's a black and white image of three figures. It feels very intimate and somber. What do you see in this piece? Curator: It’s almost like stepping into someone's memory, isn't it? That grainy texture, the stark contrast… it's whispering a story. Look at the three figures – the stoic man in his tie, the woman, seemingly holding onto her grandchild… It feels less like a posed picture, and more like a captured moment. Maybe even a little invasive, you know? Makes you wonder about the space and what kind of atmosphere the photograph is capturing. It almost seems to hold something unsaid and solemn. What feeling does it spark in you? Editor: It’s the directness of the gaze from the girl, I think. She looks straight out, past Roma, past us… But her eyes also tell this story that there is more there than is evident on first look. Curator: Precisely! And it's Roma’s skill. He isn't just pointing and shooting, but rather engaging with the Black Arts Movement aesthetic that sought to document the everyday lives of African Americans. It's social realism at its finest, imbued with an emotional core. A clock is ticking in the background— time itself seems to be part of the narrative. He also avoids cliché here and that makes me stop and wonder, doesn't it you? Editor: Absolutely, the details make a huge difference. Thank you. It felt much simpler until you helped contextualize the themes. Curator: My pleasure, my friend. It just goes to show you, photographs can often reveal, and conceal, worlds within worlds.