Three Spoons, WaRegga 1935

Walker Evans made this photograph of three spoons of the Waregga people with a camera sometime in the mid 20th century. Look at the contrast, how he’s flattened everything! The spoons almost read as graphic symbols rather than objects. Yet, the texture of the carved ivory is still so present. Notice the spoon in the center: the bowl is black, but then the handle looks like it’s made of teeth. Or maybe some kind of comb? It's this tension between flatness and depth that makes the photograph so visually arresting. It reminds me of a painting by Giorgio Morandi – his still lifes of bottles. Both artists take everyday objects and make them monumental. They seem to say something about history, craft, and the way we look at the world. In the end it’s not about answers, but about continually posing new questions.