Zuma #16 1977

John Divola made Zuma #16, a photograph, at an unknown date. The way Divola marks the walls feels like a dance between destruction and creation. The marks are bold, dark, and have this restless energy, kinda like a graffiti artist claiming a space, but also, they seem to be responding to the light and the view. There's this push and pull in the image, a conversation between the surface of the wall and the world outside the window. The ocean and sky are so soft, like a dream, but the wall is rough, real. It reminds me of how we try to frame nature, how we put it in a box, but it always escapes. See how the spray paint drips, surrendering to gravity, each streak telling a story of chance and intention? Divola's work reminds me a little of Gordon Matta-Clark, who also played with architecture and decay, poking holes in buildings and making them new again. Art isn't about making things perfect; it's about messing them up in interesting ways.