Oostzijde militaire post Poeti Segli 1891 - 1894

Curator: It is a fascinatingly bleak image. Editor: Indeed. We're looking at A. Kaulfuss's "Oostzijde militaire post Poeti Segli," a gelatin silver print from sometime between 1891 and 1894. What catches your eye, especially? Curator: The overwhelming flatness. The muddy foreground extends endlessly, and then that very rigid, symmetrical military post. There's a clear demarcation. A man-made intrusion onto this landscape. It evokes, honestly, feelings of displacement. Editor: I think the artist is showing a system that violently redefines spaces. You mentioned that rigid line; think about the history, this landscape becoming a controlled perimeter, how that relates to colonial occupation and military power. How do flags function as signifiers within that kind of forced reshaping of space? Curator: Precisely. The flags mark it. Even their geometry is very imposing, very angular. But on the other hand, look at how exposed they are atop that tower, susceptible. Everything rigid aims to establish dominance but ultimately shows vulnerability. Editor: The flags serve as constant, visible assertions of authority. This controlled staging of the image tells the intended story, not of vulnerability, but instead domination. Even the framing. Kaulfuss wanted the viewer to witness control. The contrast does hint to inherent tensions of exerting dominance and resistance. Curator: Yet even as this silver print presents control as you said, those aged sepia tones can almost seem apologetic somehow...as time continues its effects on everything, softening everything rigid through the effects of decay. What happens after military domination leaves these structures to ruin? Editor: It leaves a scar on the land, and in collective memory. The real violence in those images is what it tries to cover up, erase. Even today, there is continued resistance to the erasure. So looking at this artwork, consider it's part of that. Curator: Thank you for that insightful framing. I walk away now, seeing new layers in what initially seemed like an image of quiet starkness. Editor: Yes, may this prompt us to dig into difficult histories.