F. (All Thumbs) 1997

Editor: Here we have Al Taylor’s 1997 black and white photograph, *F. (All Thumbs)*. It features a thumb with a peculiar dot formation on the nail, surrounded by a strange geometric figure constructed with what seems to be thin tubing and bulbous junctions. It strikes me as both playful and slightly unsettling. What do you make of it? Curator: Well, let’s consider the institutional context. Taylor, though celebrated for his sculptures, often photographed them – or details of them – blurring the lines between documentation and art object. Thinking historically, how might the readymade, popularized by Duchamp, play a role here? This isn't just a picture of a thumb, is it? It's a photographed sculpture, a hybrid thing. And what of the title? "All Thumbs" – clumsiness, imperfection... a direct affront to the modernist obsession with pristine execution. Editor: So it's like he's intentionally subverting expectations about photography, about sculpture, even about skill? Is he suggesting that art doesn’t always have to be perfect or technically impressive? Curator: Exactly. And think about the political climate of the 90s. There was a real move toward dismantling hierarchies within art, challenging traditional notions of beauty and skill. Taylor is placing the everyday – a thumb! – in the frame, and overlaying it with this awkward, constructed form. It suggests a world struggling to make connections, maybe failing to do so elegantly. Where do you think its politics lie? Editor: It's a really interesting perspective to consider his deliberate subversion of artistic conventions within a socio-political frame! Now I wonder how his sculptures played with that dichotomy. Curator: I hope our listeners enjoyed looking closely and examining how this print photography reflects art of our time!