Memo Center with Wall Plaque c. 1975

Joanne Leonard made this photograph, "Memo Center with Wall Plaque", sometime in the 20th century. The grayscale image renders all the textures and forms in subtle gradations, and our eye travels over the surfaces of the items on the wall. I’m drawn to the contrast between the graphic, almost pedagogical quality of the plaque, and the organic, chaotic trail of the telephone cord. It feels like a kind of dance between intention and accident. What kind of marks are we trying to make in the world? What kinds of marks do we actually make? Look closely at the dots on the electrical outlet. They seem almost like eyes peering back at the viewer. This reminds me of the work of Sophie Calle, who also used photography to explore themes of memory, identity, and the everyday. Like Calle, Leonard invites us to consider how the objects we surround ourselves with reflect our inner lives. Art is never really about answers, is it? It’s more about the questions we ask along the way.