Untitled (luau food, with roast whole pig) c. 1950

Curator: This photograph, by Lucian and Mary Brown, shows a luau food spread, complete with a roasted pig. The print is small, roughly 13 by 10 centimeters. Editor: My first thought is that it's a bit eerie, almost ghostly, with the reversed tones. But it also looks incredibly abundant. What a feast! Curator: In many Polynesian cultures, the pig is a symbol of prosperity, feasting, and communal gathering. Its presence signals a celebration of life, connection, and generosity. Editor: It’s funny, seeing the pig here, all splayed out, kind of makes me think about ritual sacrifice. Like a peace offering, almost, to the gods of hunger. Curator: Yes, these feasts are also a ritual, and the pig a potent symbol, imbued with cultural memory and significance reaching back centuries. Editor: It's strangely beautiful, even in this inverted form. It really invites us to consider our relationship to food, community, and celebration.