Mombasa and Nairobi--Africa 7 1964

Robert Frank's "Mombasa and Nairobi--Africa 7" presents a stark visual narrative through a series of contact sheet frames. The eye is drawn to several repeated images, evoking the universal theme of travel: figures at an airport, a plane on a runway, passengers looking out of windows. These motifs connect across time and cultures—the airport as a modern-day port, a transient space where identities blur. Consider the recurring image of the airplane: once a symbol of modernity and connection, and now, in the post-colonial context of Frank’s work, perhaps a loaded symbol of cultural exchange. The plane, in ancient times, echoes the winged figures and celestial journeys found in mythological art. This continuity shows how the human desire to bridge distances transcends eras. Ultimately, Frank's work reflects a constant interplay between progress and tradition, freedom and restriction—a journey that we are all on, consciously or unconsciously.