Ghost 1990

Rachel Whiteread made this piece, called Ghost, by casting the inside of a room, and the result is like seeing the negative space of a memory. The whole thing is white, or maybe off-white, which gives it this spectral, almost holy feeling. The texture is key here. You can see every bump and crack, every little imperfection of the walls that once held the space. Look closely at the fireplace – you can almost feel the coldness of the absent fire. It's like she's not just showing us a room, but the very idea of a room. Like a minimalist sculpture by Donald Judd. Whiteread’s work, like his, embraces ambiguity. It is not fixed to one meaning. It is open to endless possible interpretations.