Barber Shop, N.Y.C. Possibly 1973 - 1994

Curator: Here we have Richard Gordon’s gelatin silver print, "Barber Shop, N.Y.C.", likely taken between 1973 and 1994. It’s a compelling image that offers a stark, almost accidental portrait. Editor: It's ghostly, isn't it? Like a forgotten memory recovered from a dusty attic. There's something melancholic, something about decay in the foreground with those ripped posters or images propped up against what looks like old floorboards. Curator: Yes, the state of those images is critical. We see the degradation of the materials themselves—the silver gelatin print peeling, cracked. It reflects the passage of time and also the economic circumstances that may have led to the shop’s abandonment or repurposing. Consider the labor embedded, too, both photographic labor and, historically, the barbers themselves. Editor: It makes you wonder about the stories within those peeling portraits, almost like unearthed archaeological finds. I’m drawn to the larger portrait, with the somewhat austere, business-like demeanor. The picture within a picture is of a barber shop in action, giving depth and resonance. Do you feel any intentional irony, seeing the man presented to us contrasted against the environment itself? Curator: Absolutely, that visual echo draws attention to labor itself. The work being performed versus the perceived dignity of a man in a suit. And think about who would've been consuming and viewing these photographs. Whose spaces are barbershops, in particular within N.Y.C during this time, for whom, and how does the economic activity influence those spaces? Editor: Yes! It's like the photograph captures a quiet tension. It asks questions of status and expectation, almost daring you to look closer at those cracks and fading tones, finding the poetry in ordinary decay. I find the lack of resolution allows a wider exploration. Curator: The tension it articulates also resonates in the materiality. This is street photography printed in a specific medium. We have to question how and for whom was it exhibited or sold. The presentation choices made the images objects within commerce. Editor: Exactly, objects imbued with stories. It takes everyday and almost dares us to remember it with new depth. Curator: Agreed, Richard Gordon’s photograph encourages critical considerations and recontextualizations.