Untitled 1993

Curator: This compelling black and white photograph, simply titled "Untitled," was taken by Thomas Roma in 1993. What are your initial impressions? Editor: Stark and raw. The tonal range achieved through the gelatin silver print is extraordinary; look how the light interacts with the surfaces. It highlights the materiality and process right away. Curator: Absolutely. And consider the subjects themselves: three women seemingly caught in a moment of spiritual expression. The woman with the tambourine seems to be in command, leading a performance of some kind, while the other two women are in devotion. How does this presentation of Black women, especially captured through the Ashcan School aesthetic, challenge or reinforce prevalent societal narratives? Editor: It’s more than just a presentation. Roma's choice of gelatin silver – a labor-intensive, craft-based medium – speaks to a certain ethos of careful, almost reverential making. What are the acoustics of this space? How do the sound and its physical manifestation become embedded in this space through its materiality? The clothing materials they use too give us details on their life conditions. Curator: That's insightful. Focusing on sound adds another layer to understanding this scene. The image begs us to think about their experiences and cultural identities as Black women—and what that tambouring and devotion communicates within these contexts. Do you read their expressions as joy? Resilience? Hope? The composition keeps us at bay; almost refusing a direct reading. Editor: The composition certainly creates a certain tension. We must acknowledge the social act of bearing witness inherent to photography as a medium itself and its relationship to documenting or capturing a population through photographic processes. Are they laboring under oppressive forces to present in these garments, with this drum in this enclosed room? It also asks how can labor also present a means of spirituality and freedom through acts of performance? Curator: Exactly. Roma, by immortalizing this moment through a very specific medium, engages in both documentation and interpretation. Perhaps in bearing witness, he also opens the photograph up to serve as evidence, artifact, and artwork simultaneously. Editor: It all feeds into the dialogue surrounding labor and visibility. Thank you, I leave with further consideration about photographic creation itself and the artist's choices!