Untitled 1992

Curator: This photograph, simply titled "Untitled" by Thomas Roma and created in 1992, immediately strikes me as an image saturated with both intimacy and formality. Editor: Yes, that's it exactly! The stark black and white emphasizes the solemn mood, and there's a beautiful contrast between the softness of the light and the almost harsh graininess. It looks like a moment of intense communal…something. Curator: Precisely. The boy, likely at the center of some rite of passage, stands with his eyes downcast, a picture of quiet obedience. Note how the hands pressing upon him from above symbolize support, blessing, possibly even a laying-on-of-hands for healing. Editor: The textures in play here are interesting too: crisp cotton of the boy's shirt against the heavy, patterned fabric of the adults' clothes surrounding him. Knowing this is a gelatin-silver print makes me wonder about Roma's darkroom process. What kind of paper did he select, and how did his choices impact the emotional temperature? Curator: Gelatin-silver prints often suggest historical weight and memory. This work certainly activates both personal and cultural memories related to religious practice. Consider how the image avoids overt signals that locate it precisely—this heightens its universality and invites viewers to see themselves reflected in this rite. The uplifted hand might also symbolize spiritual receptivity. Editor: Absolutely, the ritualized aspect is undeniable. But consider also the power dynamics visible through these hands – the surrounding figures almost seem to exert control over him. And the way the monochrome reduces detail actually heightens that impression of an austere world he's stepping into. It really is a very precise image in both content and craft. Curator: An interesting take – highlighting the dual symbolic weight that visual conventions can carry. On the one hand the religious elements of blessing, acceptance; while simultaneously highlighting the structures involved in community acceptance, a symbolic “rite.” Thank you. Editor: And thank you - considering Roma's practice through both the prism of faith and also of manufacture is compelling.