Ingang c. 1902

Tan Tjie Lan created this albumen print titled, Ingang. The way the light falls across the stark white building is really interesting; it almost feels like a painting because of the textures that emerge out of the grayscale. I love the way the light gives shape to the building, its arches and shutters. It feels tangible. It's cool how the stark lines of the building contrast with the tree in front, which becomes almost like a soft, smoky blur. Those figures near the entrance are so subtle, they're like ghosts. It reminds me a bit of some of those old Walker Evans photographs, with their interest in the hard angles of architecture and the way they can reveal a kind of ghostliness. Ultimately, it's this blend of realism and abstraction that gets me – a reminder that seeing is always a process of construction and interpretation.