Untitled 1993

Curator: This photograph, a gelatin-silver print from 1993, is simply titled "Untitled," and it’s by the artist Thomas Roma. It’s one of his series of images taken within religious communities in Brooklyn. Editor: My first reaction is one of immediate emotional dissonance. You have this deep, soulful engagement in prayer from the adults, beautifully composed in the foreground. Then, this child—an almost spectral figure in the background—is clearly distressed and crying. The visual story feels fractured. Curator: Exactly! The "realism" style sort of slaps you in the face with the simultaneity of conflicting experiences, doesn't it? Look at the detail—the texture of the clothing, the intensity in their closed eyes, all rendered in stark black and white. The composition places the adults centrally, grounding the image, but that background detail just throws a wrench into things. Editor: I’d argue it speaks volumes about intergenerational experiences within these religious spaces. The adults, seemingly, find solace, perhaps a form of resistance in their faith, while for the child… maybe it represents something else entirely. Conformity, expectation, a lack of agency? Curator: Perhaps. Or, hear me out, maybe it's simpler. Perhaps it's a kid being a kid during something perceived as quite serious, breaking through the formality like light through a stained-glass window. I wonder about the power dynamics inherently visible in that snapshot, with these women centering faith expression. It’s really beautiful. Editor: Precisely. Think about the context: Black religious institutions have historically provided spaces of refuge, organizing, and empowerment. Yet, they're not monolithic. Considering intersectionality means acknowledging that gendered expectations and generational divides might create complex relationships with that space. The crying child might signify more than just childish displeasure. Curator: I find this sort of quietness really wonderful too. Roma isn't forcing anything. It's intimate without being invasive, candid without being cruel. It simply is, presenting both the serene and the chaotic. Editor: It's a potent reminder that community and faith are never just one thing. The artist prompts us to look at the nuances, at the sometimes painful negotiations, that shape our experiences, even in sacred settings. A thought-provoking capture that questions so much more than it reveals, I think.