114th Street/Amsterdam Avenue and Broadway 1989

Madoka Takagi made this photograph of 114th Street, Amsterdam Avenue, and Broadway. The pipes evoke a sense of urban disruption, a world constantly under construction and change. Takagi, a Japanese woman, arrived in the United States in the 1980s. Her experience as an immigrant undoubtedly shaped how she saw the urban landscape. The piles of pipes could be read as barriers, both physical and metaphorical, reflecting the challenges and obstacles faced when navigating a new culture. Look closer, and you can see laundry hanging on a line in the background. These everyday details of life speak to issues of class and labor which are subtly woven into the photograph, creating a contrast between the grand scale of the construction and the intimate details of domestic life. Takagi’s work is not just a depiction of a place, but a statement about the experience of living in it. It acknowledges the emotional weight of urban existence, prompting us to reflect on our connections to the spaces we inhabit.