The Queen’s Pub, Southbank, Middlesbrough 1981

Graham Smith’s photograph, The Queen’s Pub, Southbank, Middlesbrough, captures a moment in time. It's all about tone, shades of gray, capturing a mood. What grabs me here is the texture. Look at the surfaces: the grainy floor, the worn bar top, the static on the TV screen. The light from the window seems to flatten everything, turning the space into a kind of stage. The people inside are actors in a play we've only caught a glimpse of. The curve of the bar brings you into the scene like you’re about to order a drink. Smith’s work reminds me a bit of the early photographs by Walker Evans. They both have this documentary feel, but there’s also a real sense of poetry in the everyday. Art isn’t always about answers; sometimes, it's just about noticing the questions.