Radioinstallatie en zonnebaden 1940

This is an anonymous photograph, or rather, an arrangement of photographs titled ‘Radioinstallatie en zonnebaden,’ mounted in an album. It’s all about how we receive and transmit messages, both literally and figuratively. Look at the graininess, the slightly blurred edges – these are all physical properties that shape my perception. It’s not just about what's depicted, but how it’s depicted. I keep coming back to the top left image, of men in uniform working at a radio station. It's a mundane scene, but I am interested in it as a metaphor for communication, and how clear or unclear our messages can be. Is there a way to read something into what is not shown? Photography, like painting, is about choices: what to include, what to leave out, how to frame a story. This piece reminds me of Gerhard Richter's use of photography, with his blurred realism that is often based on found images, evoking a sense of history, memory, and the passage of time. Art is always talking to other art, isn’t it? It is less about fixed meanings and more about the ongoing dialogue.