The wide and spacious gallery was lit brightly, and monochromatic photographs scattered across the white wall. Though in just black and white, the photographs screamed in the colors of pain and struggle, but also hope and a desire for something better. Though these pictures were taken during the black struggle of the 1960’s, the themes were eerily familiar. Though many years have passed since the black struggle, our world today is facing the same problems in socio-economic equality amongst the races.
Having had experience with film photography, I know that film is very good at capturing movement and the atmosphere in ways that digital photography can’t. There were many photos in which you could see the movement of fists raising in the air, or children rowing a makeshift boat. This is a quality that I appreciate in film photography.
One significant photo I saw that was intriguing as one of women in a dancing or marching in a line, and they looked very close and happy together. t was interesting because there were white women and black women all marching with and hugging each other and the photo was very impactful. It made me optimistic to see that women of both races were working together and were supportive of each other during this power movement. Another photograph that was significant was one of a black man playing a flute in Washington DC in front of a pond that reflected the sky really nicely. It was aesthetically pleasing, but it was also impactful in that it felt like you could almost hear the lone flute note in the wind with no one to hear it but the black man and the water. There was a sense of isolation and alienation in the photo that could be symbolic of the isolation the black people felt during their struggle for equal rights.
The gallery with photos from Guantanamo Bay was a stark contrast to the black and white photos in the other exhibit. The photos from Guantanamo Bay were washed in color that seemed too cheerful for the violence and human rights violations that happen there. I would expect the photos to be very gloomy and depressing, but the bright blues and vibrant yellows were unexpected. I believe that the vibrant and vivacious colors were the artist trying to make the viewer uneasy, as the colors were almost sickeningly bright. The artist definitely achieved this with me.
