Portretten 1940 - 1945

Editor: So, here we have "Portretten" which simply means "Portraits", a gelatin silver print by Flex Foto taken sometime between 1940 and 1945. They have this really interesting arrangement on a grey card. There's something nostalgic and intimate about the work as a whole. How would you interpret this collection of photographs? Curator: Well, immediately the dates, 1940-1945, trigger a certain historical awareness. Looking at these portraits, all seemingly of the same young woman, I wonder what visual cues connect them to that specific period. It's interesting to notice how photography has captured the emotional and cultural weight, particularly through changes in appearance and the staging of the image itself. Editor: It makes me wonder about their original function and why these specific images were included in this compilation, since this is an art installation from photographs that probably already existed. Curator: Precisely. Each element—the woman's hairstyles, the clothes, even the building in the small snapshot—speaks to a very specific moment and location, preserving those things beyond its moment. Think of them almost as icons of that era, not in a religious sense, but as symbols that trigger specific memories and associations tied to those times. Are these happy portraits of a loved one who may be saying farewell? Is this meant to evoke long distance dedication between families in a time of immense war? Editor: The power of an image to hold so much unspoken meaning is so interesting to consider. Thank you. Curator: My pleasure. Considering these images are now installations, their meaning grows over time, reflecting and refracting the collective understanding of a pivotal era, each impression a symbol that allows the viewer to feel the magnitude of its time.