Esteban de Viguera, June 11, 1991, 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. 1991

Ursula Schulz-Dornburg captured this photograph in Esteban de Viguera on June 11, 1991, sometime between 9:30 and 11:30 in the morning. I can only imagine what it must have felt like for Ursula to be in this abandoned ruin in the Spanish countryside, waiting for the sun to emerge. The beam of light is almost like a brushstroke on the wall and the floor. It’s such a simple gesture but completely transforms the space. The passage of time is palpable, isn’t it? Ursula’s work reminds me of other artists and photographers like Robert Smithson, Gordon Matta-Clark, and Bernd and Hilla Becher. They were all interested in what happens to places and things when left to their own devices. Artists are always in conversation with each other, even across generations. This image is a great example of how artists use the simplest means to create work which leaves space for us to reflect on the ephemerality of existence.