Untitled (from the series Still Water (The River Thames, for Example)) 1999

Here's a photograph of the River Thames by Roni Horn. It's one of many that she made, so many that they became a series. When I look at this image, I think about how Horn must have watched the water, maybe for hours, searching for something that caught her eye. This image is like a dark mirror, reflecting light in a way that flattens the water, making it look viscous and oily. There's this constant push and pull between what's being reflected and the surface of the water. The light shimmers like small diamonds. I wonder if she was drawn to how light transforms the ordinary into something magical. It makes me think about other artists, like Gerhard Richter, who also explore the effects of light and reflection in their work. This feels like Horn is saying that even the most mundane subject can become extraordinary when viewed from a different angle.