Aoyama Cemetery 2

Thomas Struth's Aoyama Cemetery 2 illustrates several common tendencies found in his work. Similar to the black-and-white photographs Struth first exhibited in the late1970s, buildings are his main subject matter here. In this work there is a distinct absence of people and motion. It first appears straightforward and depicts what might be, at a glance, an ordinary location. However, after closer inspection paradoxes appear. In the foreground the gravestone's regular rectangular shapes echo the city's architecture in the background. All the elements in the photograph come together to create an abstract composition. Moreover, Struth is interested in how architecture is a bearer of history. Here there is a tension between the two histories: of the foreground and background, of the cemetery and the looming city.