Accidents at a Staircase 2001

Dmitry Vilensky made this photograph called 'Accidents at a Staircase' with light, camera, and film. It feels like the image has come into being through many, many exposures – each shift in light, each accidental movement contributing to the ghostliness we see before us. I can imagine Vilensky carefully setting up the shot and then waiting, watching, as the image slowly revealed itself. It’s all muted browns and greens, worn surfaces, and an eerie light source that illuminates a spectral face. What might he have been thinking when he created this artwork? The material aspects of the image, the way light interacts with the surface, create a sense of ethereal beauty. It also reminds me of the work of other artists, like Gerhard Richter, who are interested in the blurriness of photography and painting. Artists are in an ongoing conversation, inspiring each other's creativity across time. Vilensky's photograph embraces ambiguity, allowing for multiple interpretations and meanings beyond a fixed or definitive reading.