1978-1988
gelatin silver print, 17.6 × 23.5 cm,
artist’s stamp, stamps reading "ZAPIS SOCJOLOGICZNY / ANNO 1978-1988" and "LUBELSKIE" on the reverse
vintage

This photograph comes from the Sociological Record, which is the most monumental series of Rydet’s works. The artist was obsessed about the passing of time. She treated photography as the only defense against what passes irreversibly. She considered the picture-taking moment to be of ‘paramount importance’ and did not allow her models to smile. They were supposed to sit straight with an awareness that the artist was ‘capturing their self.’
The photograph has been widely exhibited.