john divola • vandalism

i love these pictures made by john divola in the 1970s inside abandoned houses. he would sneak in armed with camera and spray paint, making patterns like lines, dots, and grids all over the derelict walls, and then photograph. he turns the typically destructive and aggressive acts of trespassing and vandalism into aesthetic, ruminative gestures. and there is something inexplicably moving in the clumsiness and simplicity of the paint marks. these pictures are like no other photos i've ever seen. stunning in such a minimal and gritty way.

also have a peek at divola's amazing book three acts published early this year by aperture (it includes the vandalism project and two others). and if you want to see even more of his work take a look here.

[john divola. all from the vandalism series 1973-75.]