Untitled (Behind Don's Gas Station, Randolph, Wisconsin, May 1981) 1981

Lewis Koch’s photograph, taken in Randolph, Wisconsin, in May 1981, captures a scene that feels both familiar and surreal. The greyscale palette is like a memory, or a half remembered dream, focusing your attention on shape and form. There’s this little shed, almost doll-like, juxtaposed against the towering grain silos. It's like a kid’s drawing, a little house in front of these huge, industrial shapes. The reflections in the window add another layer of weirdness. Are those vases? Or weird wizard hats? And then there are the lawnmowers. These workaday objects, sitting there like they're waiting for something to happen. The whole thing feels like a stage set. Like Edward Hopper and Robert Frank had a baby. It’s this slice of Americana, but tilted, a little off-kilter, reminding us that the everyday can be pretty strange if you really look.