Accidents at a Staircase 2001

Dmitry Vilensky made "Accidents at a Staircase" using photography, to me it feels very immediate. The chipped paint and those classical pillars are rendered so beautifully here, but there is also the reality of the lived-in space, the way the paint is peeling off the walls. I guess that's what grabs me, the materiality of the architecture is so evident. The process is about not hiding the texture. The light, that horizontal line of white sparks, is the most compelling gesture, both formally and metaphorically. It feels like it sutures the image together, but also like a question mark. It feels like the ghost of some kind of event, that has lingered in the image, but also in the building itself. I think of Gordon Matta-Clark and his building cuts. But I'm also reminded of some of the early Soviet photography, with its interest in documenting the everyday, the spaces of ordinary life. It's a reminder that art is an ongoing conversation.