Construct III-B 1980

Barbara Kasten made this photograph, Construct III-B, using light, mirrors, and colored gels to build a sort of temporary sculpture that she then captured on film. It’s a reminder that art making is often about setting up a situation and letting something happen, rather than total control. Look at how the planes of color intersect and reflect. The red square feels solid until you notice the shadow of the structure that is projected across it. What I love is that even though it’s a photograph, it has this real sense of texture and surface. It's not just about capturing a scene, but about creating an environment where light and form play together. There’s something very Bauhaus about this image, maybe László Moholy-Nagy, who was playing with similar ideas of space and form using photography as a tool for experimentation. And it reminds us that art is always a conversation, each artist building on what came before.