Five Okapa Warriors, New Guinea 1970

Irving Penn created this gelatin silver print of five Okapa warriors from New Guinea. The men are stoic, posed formally as they hold their weapons, but it feels like we’ve interrupted them. I wonder what it was like for Penn to make this image, the push and pull of observation and interpretation. What did it feel like for the men? How does the translation of color into black and white shift our understanding? The high contrast emphasizes the starkness of the image, the texture of the skin and adornments. It reminds me of the way a minimalist painter like Agnes Martin can use a simple grid to create an infinitely complex space for contemplation. There’s a lot of discussion around the politics of representation when a Western artist photographs indigenous peoples. What are the ethics of looking, of framing? How do we approach such images with respect and critical awareness? Photography, like painting, is never a neutral act. It’s always a conversation, a negotiation between artist, subject, and viewer.