Emoplux

Daniel Reuter’s History of the Visit is about a visit to Iceland, but looks are deceiving. Formally rigorous and concise, History of the Visit is a journey to the interior – a psychologically taut mood piece of haunting resonance. Restrained and muted, the dark low-contrast images take us across the landscape of Iceland, but avoid the dramatic vistas or popular sites. Cut branches, closed utility sheds, rocks and moss-encrusted fields are all shown with both close scrutiny and distanced restraint. Images of lichen, rocks and wind-swept grass recall the work of Paul Caponigro and similarly minded naturalist photographers, but strike a more darkly romantic and sinister tone. If Minor White ditched the Gurdjieff and started listening to Sunn O))) and Brian Eno, this is the kind of work he might make. Although detached and seemingly minimal, the image’s dark tones and themes of obfuscation – closed doors, ropes, towering rock faces and fence-like growth – point to an interiority that is unknowable and beyond our reach.