Tollebeek II 1999

Editor: Here we have Jan Dibbets’ “Tollebeek II” from 1999, a photograph dominated by a stark black square and a single, offset circular window. I'm immediately drawn to the sharp contrast and the almost sculptural quality. What elements of this piece stand out to you? Curator: I focus on the materiality. This isn't just a depiction of a window; it’s a constructed image, mediated by the photographic process and the choices inherent in that medium. The flatness of the black versus the illusionistic depth of the landscape – this speaks to a disruption of traditional pictorial space, and an emphasis on photography as labor, where choices regarding framing, focus, and exposure shape our consumption of landscape. Editor: That’s interesting. So the photograph itself, the ‘thingness’ of it, is as important as what it’s showing us? Curator: Exactly. How do we interpret "landscape" here? It is only accessible via window, literally mediated and controlled. Further, think about Dibbets’ history with shaped canvases. The photograph might flatten this tension but it surely references his interest in pushing painting's boundaries into three dimensions and vice-versa. This photograph makes us consider art as an industrial product with many material inputs and labor hours embedded in each work. What kind of work, decisions, went into creating this particular framing for instance? Editor: I see what you mean. It's making me think about how much we take for granted, how a seemingly simple image involves all these layers of production. Curator: Indeed! By bringing these aspects to the forefront, Dibbets forces us to acknowledge the constructed nature of the image. It challenges us to move beyond merely seeing the landscape and instead to interrogate the means through which we perceive it. Editor: I definitely learned a new way to look at photography today! Curator: Glad I could broaden your perspective with a look into materiality.