Untitled 1991

This photograph by Thomas Roma captures a gathering of people in a room, rendered in soft blacks, whites, and grays. It feels like a still from a movie; maybe the beginning of something, or perhaps something is ending. Looking at it, I can almost feel what Roma felt, trying to capture a fleeting moment. What was he thinking as he chose his frame? What to include and what to leave out? The woman at the front, holding a staff or a stick, her eyes closed, she seems to be in communion, a vessel of grace, oblivious of Roma’s camera. There’s a sense of gravity and introspection, but also of community and togetherness. She looks tired, though; I wonder what her story is? Who are the people around her? Where are they? What is their story? There is an intimacy here. I can only guess at the story, and perhaps that’s the point: Roma offers a window into a world, inviting us to fill in the blanks with our own associations.