John Gossage — The Romance Industry

It started with a letter sent on the 26th of May 1998 by Dr. Sandro Mescola. In the letter, Gossage was invited to work on a project to document "the city of Venice's industrial transformation." No gondolas and peppermint sticks rising out of the water here. The ports of Marghera provided endless material for an artist who is brilliant at mustering together 'evidence', like a detective. The 'case' for which he photographs is irrelevant; one can so easily become absorbed in the unfolding story the images present that concerns about grandiose theories fall to the wayside. Pay special attention to the chapter entitled, "The Contents of a Laboratory." The photographs in that chapter pleasantly conjure up Calder and Diebenkorn in an effortless, unintentional manner.