We acknowledge the Gadigal of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the Country on which the Art Gallery of New South Wales stands.

Carrie Mae Weems

Carrie Mae Weems Untitled (playing harmonica) from The Kitchen Table Series 1990, Art Gallery of New South Wales © Carrie Mae Weems

Carrie Mae Weems Untitled (playing harmonica) 1990 from The kitchen table series 1990, Art Gallery of New South Wales © Carrie Mae Weems

Untitled (playing harmonica) 1990

from The Kitchen table series 1990

It’s as if we’ve been invited to take a seat momentarily in an intimate domestic theatre. The woman leans forward and listens intensely as her partner plays the harmonica. He has devoured his dinner already, hers has not yet been touched. Her powerful reverie coexists with what photographer Carrie Mae Weems calls a sense of ‘the distances between people’. This photograph comes from Weems’ renowned Kitchen table series, which she created at her own kitchen table in her apartment in Northampton, Massachusetts. Seeking to ‘make the invisible visible’, Weems cast herself and friends and neighbours in her series, creating scenes of romance, discord, loss and consolation in an imagined woman’s life. Distilled and amplified through Weems’s lens, the modest realm of the kitchen becomes momentous. 

  • K–6 discussion questions

    • Describe the scene depicted in the photograph. Who are these people? Where is your eye drawn to first? Notice the light and the shadows. What time of day is it?  

    • Weems is both the artist and one of the subjects in this photograph. Do you think it’s a self-portrait? Why or why not? Discuss as a class. 

    • Describe the composition and mood of the artwork. How has the artist created this atmosphere?

  • K–6 activities

    • Imagine walking into the room shown in this artwork. What song is being played on the harmonica? Is Weems singing? Create a digital artwork that re-creates a particular place and time. Add sound to enhance the mood and atmosphere.  

    • Create a photographic artwork of your kitchen table. Consider the scene, the people you will include and the objects on the table. Will the lighting be artificial or natural? Experiment with black-and-white and colour photography. What mood is captured in each approach? What effect do you prefer?

  • 7–12 discussion questions

    • This artwork is from a series of 20 photographs called The kitchen table. In each photograph, Weems depicts scenes played out around the same kitchen table. What do you think the artist is trying to convey by focusing on this space and the activity that happens in it? What do you think she means by referring to the kitchen as a battle site?  

    • Weems places herself as the protagonist in this photograph and throughout the series. What does this communicate to viewers about the experience of women? How might different audiences respond or relate to this image?  

  • 7–12 activities

    • This photograph presents an everyday scene of two people around a kitchen table. Create an artwork that tells the story of an everyday activity or ritual in your home. Present it to your class and discuss people’s responses to it. How do your classmates relate to your story and image?  

    • Describe the features in this photograph that have symbolic meaning. Consider the subject matter and the way the artist has composed the photograph. Create your own artwork that has symbolic, hidden or coded meaning.