Guggenheim 94/Ford 17--Detroit 1955

This is Robert Frank’s "Guggenheim 94/Ford 17--Detroit," a photographic contact sheet, the kind photographers use as a record of images that have been exposed on a roll of film. It's a way of seeing all the possible images at once. I imagine Frank in the darkroom, hunched over, the red light casting shadows as he examines each frame. In this work, the images seem to be almost fighting for attention, telling stories of work and life in Detroit. The film grain is heavy, creating a raw, gritty texture that mirrors the industrial landscape he’s capturing. Some frames are crossed out, like the artist is marking choices, editing the narrative. I keep wondering what he saw—or didn’t see—in those discarded frames. It reminds me that every artwork is the result of countless decisions, of choosing what to show and, more importantly, what to leave out. It's a conversation with the world, a way of making sense of things, even when—or especially when—they don't quite make sense.