Boyfriends Fighting Possibly 1987 - 1994

This photograph, Boyfriends Fighting, was created by Jim Goldberg. The light falls down hard, pooling into blackness at the bottom, as though it is a void, or a mirror. I wonder what Goldberg was thinking when he made this? The black and white image is contrasty, and the bodies are illuminated. A figure lays pinned down by another. It is difficult to make images of violence without glamourising it, and it’s to Goldberg’s credit that he shows the vulnerability inherent to fighting. The surface of the photograph, which feels raw, and unedited, only adds to this quality. The focus feels as though it is on the bystanders. Is Goldberg implicating them, or is it simply that the focus falls where it may? It’s a difficult question. These are the kinds of questions artists continue to ask, and keep re-asking in order to learn from each other.