Lorna Simpson
American, born 1960
Same, 1991
16 color Polaroids in four frames with 11 plastic plaques
118 1/2 × 82 1/4 × 1 7/8 in. (301 × 208.9 × 4.8 cm.) installed
Gift of the New Art Collectors  1991.22.2 a‑e
© Lorna Simpson. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth

In Same, Lorna Simpson delves into the shared black experience and critiques how women of color are subjected to discrimination. In these rows of Polaroids, two women seen from behind appear to be connected by a long, thick braid hanging between them like a bridge. The fragments of text express feelings of loss and isolation, as well as commonalities. These women “worked for the same pay,” “were let go for the same reasons,” and “read the news account and knew it could have easily been them.” Though they “were not related” and “had never met,” their shared race and skin tone affects how they are treated by society, regardless of their individual attributes.