Untitled (group of women, raising hands) 1974

Curator: This photograph, by Ken Whitmire Associates, is titled "Untitled (group of women, raising hands)" and its date is unknown. Editor: The first thing that strikes me is the eerie, almost dreamlike quality. It's like a memory fading, or a ghostly reunion. Curator: The photograph prompts many questions about the representation of women, particularly older women, within photographic archives, and who is granted a voice. Editor: The uniformity of their raised hands—is it a greeting, a protest, a gesture of solidarity? It’s strangely captivating and a little unsettling. I wonder what story they hold. Curator: It might be worthwhile to consider what systems are at play here. How are we seeing these women? What expectations or assumptions do we bring to the photograph? Editor: For me, it’s a reminder that every face has a story and every gesture is a poem waiting to be deciphered.