Untitled 2009 - 2011

John Gossage's photograph captures a still life in the quiet of an interior. The strong diagonal lines of the ladder draw the eye, but it is the delicate filaments tied to it that command our attention. These hanging threads, almost like spider silk, evoke a sense of suspension and connection. Like Ariadne's thread, which guided Theseus through the labyrinth, these threads might symbolize guidance or the fragile connections that bind our lives. Consider, too, the motif of webs throughout art history, from the Renaissance allegories of fate to modern expressions of entrapment. Here, the symbolism feels more personal, almost melancholic. Gossage presents us with a meditation on memory, decay, and the impermanence of human structures. Such reflections reveal how symbols are never fixed but evolve, each appearance tinted by time and personal experience. The cyclical nature of these images reminds us that nothing is ever truly new. Rather, like the threads, these visual motifs are constantly rewoven into new tapestries of meaning.