Grace Jones 1984

Editor: This photograph by Robert Mapplethorpe captures Grace Jones. The stark black and white and the bold painted designs are just so striking. What statement do you believe Mapplethorpe was trying to make? Curator: Mapplethorpe's work often challenged conventional notions of beauty and explored themes of sexuality and identity. Consider how the stark black and white intensifies the graphic quality, almost stripping away individual identity to present Jones as a powerful symbol. How do you see that playing out in the public sphere? Editor: It's almost as if she's a blank canvas being re-defined. I never thought about it that way. Curator: Exactly! The image becomes a site where ideas about race, gender, and artistic expression are negotiated. Food for thought, right? Editor: Definitely. I'll have to consider that more.