Gezicht op het Japans paviljoen tijdens de Wereldtentoonstelling van 1873 in Wenen, Oostenrijk 1873

This photograph by Klösz captures the Japanese pavilion at the 1873 World Exhibition in Vienna, Austria. The composition is structured around a central pathway leading the eye towards the pavilion, framed by towering flagpoles and meticulously arranged foliage. The pavilion's architecture, with its horizontal lines and pagoda-like roof, offers a stark contrast to the vertical thrust of the distant minarets and the dome of what appears to be an Islamic-style structure. Klösz uses the photographic medium to create a semiotic dialogue between East and West, traditional and modern. The pavilion, a signifier of Japan, is placed within a European context, highlighting the exhibition's theme of cultural exchange and the commodification of global identities. The formal juxtaposition creates a discourse on power, representation, and the exoticization of the other. Klösz encourages us to question the categories and values that shape our perceptions of the world.