San Quentin Point, no. 27 Possibly 1982 - 1985

Lewis Baltz made this gelatin silver print, San Quentin Point, no. 27, in his usual monochrome palette. It depicts a collection of discarded rubbish. I wonder, was Baltz thinking about the way the black trash bag has that heavy form, like a Richard Serra sculpture? It has this strange solidity, amid the messy scattering of smaller debris. What if, instead of the grand scale of minimalist sculpture, there's just a black plastic garbage bag, collapsed in the dirt? Baltz made a whole series of photographs at San Quentin Point, the site of a prison. I can imagine him walking around with his camera, making these austere compositions from overlooked corners. His work reminds me of Ed Ruscha's deadpan documentation, but with an added layer of social critique. Artists are always in conversation with one another, riffing on ideas, and seeing the world in new ways.