Julie Rafalski
A Photo from Berlin
I found this photograph in a Berlin flea market a few years ago and it's been pinned to my studio wall since then. The reverse is unmarked. It must have been taken in the 70s or 80s, judging by its colour. It reminds me of Caspar David Friedrich's painting, Wanderer above the Sea Fog.
The two women are looking out into the snow-covered distance. What do they see? Who is looking at them through the lens? What year is it? Has the Berlin Wall fallen or is it just out to? What was the weather like the day before the photo was taken? Who were the people in the photo? What did they do later that day? That year? Later in life? Who owned this photo and why did it finally end up at a flea market?
How many of these questions will remain unanswered?