Zuma #12 1977

John Divola made this photograph, *Zuma #12*, and I imagine him in this trashed room with his camera. Look at the light pouring in through the broken windows. The ocean almost seems to be part of the interior space, like a surreal painting. What was Divola thinking as he framed this shot? Did he feel like an intruder, or an investigator? You can see the red spray paint around the window frames, almost like angry slashes. It's as if the walls themselves are trying to communicate something, but what? The wallpaper looks like tears that echo the ocean beyond. The colors are muted, almost ghostly. The room looks as if someone has taken an ax to it, breaking the window and leaving debris. I’m reminded of Gordon Matta-Clark, who famously cut into buildings, inviting the outside world to reveal a dialogue between decay and the natural world. This photograph embraces this ambiguity, as if the house is breathing. It makes you wonder about what is left behind and what is yet to come.