New York 1987

Curator: Rosalind Solomon's 1987 gelatin silver print, titled "New York," immediately strikes me as unsettling. The stark monochrome and the direct gaze...it's very confrontational. Editor: It’s the formal arrangement, isn’t it? The composition forces our eye onto his. He's placed centrally, the limited palette amplifying every detail in his face. Curator: It's more than just visual tricks. Considering the time it was made and Solomon’s known focus on social issues, one cannot ignore the AIDS crisis looming large. This image, depicting a man seemingly confined to a hospital bed, speaks to societal struggles with illness and mortality. The bedclothes look well used... I find the lack of information around the subject incredibly frustrating. It focuses our eye back on our lack of engagement. Editor: I see the same effect—the intensity and starkness comes, as I suggested, from Solomon’s sharp attention to monochrome. Look at the contrast! How she balances areas of light against encroaching shadow. And what of the machinery behind? It echoes his expression. His face seems tired yet he gives an unflinching stare. Curator: Indeed, the very apparatus of care becomes part of the statement. We're reminded of what a fraught moment this must be and the limitations around who is offered it, or given access to support or indeed shunned from it. Consider the economic disparities that determined the care one receives, still do, I would add. These realities shape the work’s meaning. Editor: Interesting to move toward the external like that. Still, looking at it purely from a perspective of composition and affect: it really grabs the eye, doesn't it? There's a powerful convergence here between content, composition, and materiality in this single image. Curator: Agreed, it all comes together in that tense stillness. Thinking about the societal impact and the stories within its materiality helps unlock so much. Editor: Yes, the synthesis of her craft is undoubtedly captivating. It invites such powerful interpretations on life.