Simpson, Lorna




Guarded Conditions uses an image of a black woman, seen from behind, with he hands held behind her back and wearing a plain white dress. The image is repeated six times (they are not quite identical, with different positions of the feet on the small square mat), with each figure being presented as three parts, giving a grid, perhaps like seeing through the panes of a window. The title above the image in heavy plain capitals is GUARDED CONDITIONS, and underneath Simpson has the repeated text "sex attacks, skin attacks...".
The stance of the woman is not a guarded one, more the position of an observer than any active role. She does not seem to be angry or upset, but possibly resigned. The arms do not seem to be, as some have suggested, guarding the woman's back, although they may certainly be drawing attention to it. Women as slaves were guarded - they were valuable property. They were also the subject of attacks, both because of their race and their sex.

Film and multimedia

Simpson's work has moved her away from photography while still using the medium to produce art works. As well as works using printing processes such as photogravure and silkscreen, she has produced a number of images on felt rather than photographic paper. Other works have used film or combined film with photographs.
Corridor

The most recent pictures at the Sean Kelly Gallery, in her 'Corridor' series are perhaps some of her most interesting from a photographic point of view, using pairs of colour images.