ENTRY DESCRIPTION
Taken from a recent, book-length project that explores a mothballed dealership, this photograph embodies the spirit of that project. Like all the other images, it was shot with the same wide-angle prime just before sunset.

While this photograph is figurative in the sense that it represents an actual, physical construction of some sort, it is abstract in that there are no clear, identifying features or attributes that mark the subject out clearly as being a specific building, built for a particular reason.

By questioning what’s happening within the frame, I want to prompt viewers to ask themselves what they are looking at, why it looks the way it does, and what stories lie beneath the surface. What might we find behind that shuttered entrance? What do those murky shadows conceal? How old is this place?

Here, past and present converge in an enigmatic world of deep shadows, dramatic highlights, and intricate textures, creating a complex visual fabric. Although taken quickly at the time, the image now invites viewers to discover this remarkable place at their own pace. In the end, as the shadows fade away, many secrets still remain, caught within the frame.

AUTHOR
An emerging photographer with a background in translation and music, Robert Claus has been exploring drawing, composition, and theater since an early age. Born in Germany, he relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area after graduating from the University of London.

Attending a major retrospective of David Hockney in 2014 inspired him to return to his childhood love of photography. A self-taught artist, he has since studied under Gina Militia, and taken workshops and classes from Ed Kashi, Neal Menschel, and Oleg Savunov (at Stanford), as well as Joel Grimes (remote), among others.

Now looking to gain wider exposure through open calls and other opportunities, he has produced several book-length curated projects that range from abstract still-life compositions to urban exploration. He recently designed Sunset Shrine, a photography-based installation intended to drive awareness for environmental concerns.

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