Depth of Field displays a life-sized black-and-white photograph of the interior of a 1930s drugstore. Along the walls and in the cabinet behind the counter, products are stacked: from boxes of matches to soap, from packs of cookies to tins of spices. On the counter sit a cash register and a scale, as if time has been momentarily frozen.
At first glance, it seems like a historical snapshot: a sealed scene from the past. But step into the space, and the photograph shifts: wooden blocks appear, partially painted with motifs from the 1930s. They form the building blocks of the image—but not as they appear in the photo; up close, they reveal their unpainted sides, hidden from the camera’s eye.
The work subtly plays with the viewer’s gaze: your position determines what you see and how you interpret it. From the viewpoint of the photograph, everything aligns perfectly into a coherent historical interior; view the installation itself, and the illusion collapses. The construction behind the photograph becomes visible, and the boundary between reality and perception becomes tangible. It invites you to question your first impression and demonstrates that meaning is never self-evident—everything depends on where you stand and how you look.
Depth of Field was first exhibited at Galerie Stigter Van Doesburg in Amsterdam, at the location where a drugstore stood in the 1930s. The installation is based on images of this historic shop, subtly connecting past and present.
Depth of Field has been shown at Dertien Hectare (NL) and Galerie Stigter Van Doesburg (NL).