In the photograph, a young boy holds a professional portrait of his older brother. The young boy chose to have the photograph of himself taken as a way to mourn his brother, who committed suicide after returning home from Vietnam.
Picture Mourning, opening Sept. 11, 2006 at the John Hope Franklin Center, will show 12 such photographs of mourning. Each photograph contains a picture within a picture.
The exhibit explores the process of mourning in both private and public forms. In each of the pictures, the living relatives publicly mourn their loved ones by holding specific photographs. The exhibit questions the role formal photographs have in the mourning process.
"Death photos are fairly common," said curator Rob Sikorski, executive director of the Center for International Studies. "But, you rarely see the aftermath of the death on the families."
Anther photograph in the exhibition shows a young girl in Egypt, though the focus of the picture is a portrait of her dead brother in her hand.
This photograph and the others in the exhibit bring up fascinating questions.
"Why would the girl ask the photographer to take the picture?" Sikorski asked. "Why was it important to her? Why did she choose that specific picture?"
The relationship between primary and secondary pictures is of special interest to Sikorski.
"The first photograph is professional. It's taken at Sears, or school, or on the sidewalk," he said. "But where is the second photograph in these people's lives? Does the second photographer think of the first? The first photograph is not discussed, nor is the family's decision to use it."
Although Picture Mourning includes only one photograph related to 9/11, Sikorski said the exhibit is a fitting way to commemorate the terrorist attack's fifth anniversary.
"The abrupt cutoff of mourning after 9/11 was one of the worst things our country did," he said. "The exhibit reminds us that mourning is necessary for families and communities. It shows how people around the world mourn in public, private and personal ways."
Sikorski said he hopes the exhibit will emphasize the importance of mourning and the power photographs can have in this process.
"Everyone has a photo like that in their life," he said. "Knowing your photo will be seen lightens your burden."
In an effort to emphasize the power of mourning through photographs, Sikorski will leave a portion of the gallery wall open for visitors to put up their own pictures.
"People share their photographs not to get other people's sympathy, but to allow others to share in their mourning."
Picture Mourning will be on exhibit in the John Hope Franklin Center from September 11-October 14. Admission is free to the public.
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