Valencia, Spain 35 1952

Curator: This is Robert Frank's "Valencia, Spain 35," a photogram from 1952. Editor: My initial impression is fractured—almost a melancholic sense of disconnected narratives, a fragmented glimpse into 1950s Spain. The film strip format only enhances that. Curator: That sense of fragmentation resonates. Frank was a master of capturing the human condition, and his work, especially within 'The Americans' series, often confronted themes of alienation and societal divides post-war. Here we get a direct glimpse into his working process as the photogram compiles multiple photographs on a strip of film. Editor: I think the rawness and seemingly spontaneous composition invites conversation. I am drawn to think about how Frank uses photography to frame narratives surrounding class and identity within that historical context. Curator: Indeed. It is interesting that Frank deliberately exposes his photographic process to comment on photographic truth. His imagery challenges romanticized visions of European life in the era following World War II, exposing political realities. Editor: What are the stakes for Frank when using that fragmented form, I wonder. Maybe he wanted to destabilize ideas about portraiture and photographic imagery during the fifties by presenting photographic contact sheets. Curator: Precisely. There is always a risk that Frank will exoticize his subjects; in this case, by presenting a picture from "Valencia, Spain." But perhaps by choosing the form of the contact sheet, we the audience recognize the process through which a single picture becomes associated with identity. This recognition encourages us to rethink the colonial gaze by foregrounding context. Editor: The contrast between the selected frames, with their bolder compositions, and the adjacent, fainter images creates a sense of what could have been chosen and the potential meanings of photographic pictures more generally. The cultural significance lies not only in the images themselves, but also in what they reveal about Frank's editing process, what he valued. Curator: Frank's 'Valencia, Spain 35' provides a tangible insight into the ways photographs shape, and sometimes misshape, historical and social narratives. Editor: I agree. It's an invitation to understand the historical processes of constructing narratives around social and political identities.