Untitled (medium format images of two young girls playing outdoors with one wearing mask) 1966

Curator: This unsettling image by Martin Schweig shows two young girls playing outdoors. The photo, whose date is unconfirmed, measures a mere 6 by 12 centimeters. Editor: My first thought is, unsettling is right. The negative-like rendering and the mask create a disturbing feeling, juxtaposed against the innocence of childhood play. Curator: Yes, the mask is unsettling, but masks have served ritualistic purposes across cultures for millennia. Here, it seems to channel a powerful, almost demonic presence into the everyday. Editor: I'm more interested in the photographic process itself. The transformation of light-sensitive materials into this stark, inverted image speaks to a manipulation, a kind of alchemy. What was Schweig trying to reveal about the nature of image making? Curator: Perhaps Schweig wished to reveal the darker undercurrents of childhood, the fears and fantasies that coexist with play. Or maybe the mask is a symbol of hiding, a commentary on societal expectations placed on young girls. Editor: Or, maybe it's simply about the labor involved, the chemicals, the darkroom… bringing the unseen processes of photography to the surface. Curator: Interesting. I suppose the power of symbols always lies in their ambiguity, inviting multiple interpretations across time. Editor: True, and by highlighting the material process, we gain a fuller appreciation of the artist's choices, and perhaps the inherent biases in what’s captured.