The Desk Series

 Susan Sontag excerpt from On Photography

“To photograph is to appropriate the thing photographed. It means putting oneself into a certain relation to the world that feels like knowledge -- and, therefore, like power”

This quote is suggesting that the act of taking a photograph is an act of claiming ownership or control over the subject of the photograph. The person taking the photograph is putting themselves in a position of understanding or knowledge about the subject, which in turn gives them a sense of power or control over it. The quote implies that photography can be seen as a way of exerting power and control over the world.

“Photographs furnish evidence.”

The quote is suggesting that photographs have the ability to provide proof or evidence of something. It is saying that photographs can act as a form of documentation or record that can be used to verify or validate the existence or occurrence of something. This quote is emphasizing the value of photographs as a tool for recording and preserving history, memories, and evidence of events or phenomena.

Revisiting Carrie Mae Weems’s Landmark “Kitchen Table Series”

by Jacqui Palumbo for Artsy

“It’s not just Black women; it’s white women, Asian women. Men can see the women in their lives—memories from their childhood or scenes from their marriage or their family life. It’s so universal and yet representation like this is so rare.”

    The quote is saying that the experiences and struggles of Black women are not unique to just Black women, but are also shared by women of other races and ethnicities. The speaker is suggesting that the representation of these experiences in media and society is not common, even though they are universal and relatable to many people. The quote also suggests that men can relate to the experiences of the women in their lives, whether it be memories from their childhood, their marriage, or their family life.

“But it was also a seminal moment for Black representation in art, influencing an entire generation of artists who rarely saw their own selves reflected back on museum walls. Still, the series is not limited to a particular perspective.”

This quote talks about a seminal moment for Black representation in art, meaning that it was an important and influential moment for Black people to be represented in the art world. The series is referred to has a significant impact on an entire generation of artists who have not seen their own selves reflected back on the museum walls, meaning that it was rare to see art that represented the experiences and perspectives of Black people. However, the Kitchen Table Series is not limited to a particular perspective, meaning that it does not only focus on the perspective of black people but it also includes other perspectives.

The Desk Series, Sasha Monserate 2023

Rendition of "Untitled, from The Kitchen Table Series, 1990"