Benin c. 1968

This gelatin silver print by Darryl Cowherd presents a close-up of a face, all sharp angles and deep shadows, emerging from a bright, almost blinding, white background. I can imagine Cowherd carefully positioning the light to achieve this dramatic contrast. The light doesn't just illuminate the face, it sculpts it. The eye, though partially hidden in shadow, seems to gaze towards something unseen. What might the subject be contemplating? Is it about looking outward or searching inward? The open mouth suggests speech, a gasp, or perhaps a song trying to break free. It's a conversation between light and darkness, presence and absence, echoing the emotional and social tensions that pulse through Cowherd's work. It reminds me of other artists who use black and white photography to capture a kind of austere beauty. Maybe Cowherd's work encourages us to ask ourselves: what do we see in the shadows, and what do they reveal about ourselves?