Studioportret van de zussen Heeger en Bianchi after 1907

This is a photograph of the Heeger and Bianchi sisters, taken by L.B.J. Serré sometime around the turn of the last century. Look at how the grey tones here evoke a real sense of depth and texture. It’s amazing how the photographer coaxes so much tone from what is, essentially, a limited palette. I love the way the image isn’t trying to hide its process, so to speak, and the way that the studio backdrop is so clearly a backdrop. It makes me think about my own painting process, about when to conceal and when to reveal. There’s a kind of honesty at play here, it feels very real in the way that it shows its workings. It reminds me of the work of Thomas Demand, who recreates scenes out of cardboard and photographs them. Both artists seem interested in the ways we construct our own realities and the artifice inherent in representation. There's no one answer, just an ongoing visual conversation.