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A museum in a small town, Louisiana, USA
Written on the back of this work is: “This photograph was taken during my first visit to the United States for my project I Am About to Call It a Day. I had just finished working on Ou Menya in Russia, a project made by asking people I met on the street to spend a single night in their home. I found that this was my way of entering into the intimacy of their family. With this, I finally felt comfortable taking photographs of strangers. But I wanted to use the same approach in a country where I could speak the language; I wanted to see if it would still work even then. So, while shooting in the U.S., I got stranded in a little town in Louisiana. I couldn't find a place to stay, but an old man wanted to show me 'the only beautiful museum in town'. The museum's exhibits were buried in dust and the dismal, lonely atmosphere was remarkable. This is not an image I wanted to use in my book because it's totally different than any of my other photographs. And to be honest, I actually still don't know if I like this image! But somehow, for some reason, the photograph keeps popping up in my mind. So, maybe it's best that it doesn't get lost in an undefined digital archive. Maybe it's best that it isn’t just forgotten with time.” — Bieke Depoorter