Bombay, 2008, near Victoria Terminus Possibly 2008 - 2014

This black and white photograph was taken by Leo Rubinfien in 2008, near Victoria Terminus in Bombay. I'm immediately drawn to the gaze of the man at the centre. Squinting slightly, his eyes pull me in. What's he thinking? Is he suspicious? Is there warmth there? It's hard to tell, but I feel like I'm intruding. Perhaps he's tired; he's got the look of a street vendor, someone who's been around the block a few times. I can imagine Rubinfien wandering through the streets, camera in hand, searching for a shot that would capture the essence of this place. He's not just pointing and shooting, he's thinking about light, composition, and emotion. He's looking for a truth, but not a capital-T truth. A lowercase-t truth that acknowledges the mess and the grit of real life. Photographers are in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity. It's the same with painting: a form of embodied expression which embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations and meaning.