Construct VI-A 1981

Barbara Kasten made this photograph, "Construct VI-A", by arranging and lighting various materials. It reminds me of set design; all that's missing are the actors. You know, it's funny; I'm a painter and she's a photographer, but somehow this work feels deeply related to painting. It's all about color, shape and composition. I find myself wondering, "what was she thinking when she placed that red triangle there?" Was it a deliberate choice or a spontaneous decision? Was she trying to create a sense of depth or flatness? It’s so playful! I feel like I'm looking at a painting by El Lissitzky or Laszlo Moholy-Nagy. It’s like she’s playing with the history of art and design, reinventing it for our time. I wonder if Barbara Kasten was thinking about them when she made this; I imagine artists are always talking to each other across time.