Yellow Phone 

Dan Graziano, born in 1953, painted this yellow telephone with visible brushstrokes. Before the sleek smartphones that dominate today, the rotary phone was a ubiquitous symbol of connection, especially in domestic life. Think about the kind of power that access to a telephone provided. It bridged distances, linking individuals and families across geographical divides. However, consider who had access and who did not. The ability to communicate instantly was a privilege tied to class and location, shaping social interactions and reinforcing existing power structures. In its bright, almost insistent yellow, Graziano's phone is a reminder of a time when communication felt both more immediate and more mediated. It reflects a society undergoing rapid technological changes. It encourages us to contemplate our own relationships to communication, technology, and the emotional distances they both create and collapse.