The Gray Drape

Martha Rosler's "The Gray Drape"
2008

Funny story, the security guard spotted me looking at the piece for about 5 minutes and began to talk to me about the piece and what it is trying to show. After analyzing it for 10 minutes, we came to the conclusion that the image was a contrast between suffering and obliviousness.

Rosler’s piece is a photo montage, presenting the wealthy, fancy white woman from the 50s holding a flowing gray drape in her living room as soldiers, explosions, and a Muslim woman crying can be seen outside her window. At first sight, what caught my attention of the image was the contrast between the white woman and the Muslim woman. The Muslim woman looks as if she was in pain, crying hysterically, and the white woman is gracefully smiling as she holds on to the gray drape that flows across the room.

I read various critiques of the piece itself, but what interested me the most while I stood there and what I took from the image as I left the Hirshorn was the drape. I wondered about its color, its placement, and what it represents. I think that it represents something different to each woman in the image. To the wealthy woman, it represents luxury and prosperity, while to the Muslim woman it is like her veil that she must wear every day in her life.