Roni Horn (American, b. 1955)
From Some Thames (Group J), 2020
Photograph printed on paper
Gift of John Andrew MacMahon ’95
From Some Thames (Group J) by Roni Horn is currently on display in the first floor hallway of Chambers.
Roni Horn’s work focuses mainly on the concept of identity; as an “abstract self portrait” her four-part work, From Some Thames, exemplifies this area of interest. Though the four photographs are different, they all share the same subject: the River Thames in London.
The variation in wave intensity and color creates clashes of texture and values, resulting in a dynamic composition that carries one’s eyes up, down, and across the four images, as if the viewer is flowing through the water.
Thus, Horn’s work becomes an expansive representation of the River Thames, capturing in its entirety the contrasting elements of the river.
When I view this work as a self portrait, I’m all the more intrigued. These simple images of the river expose the intricacies of the water’s movement at various loci. One image alone would not capture the expansiveness of the river.
In the same way, one facet of an individual is not sufficient to portray their identity. We are fluid beings, just like the river, not meant to be confined by uniformity. Horn showcases how the aspects of her identity are ever-changing; perceptions of sexuality, gender, and personality are fluid.
– Adele Oprica ’26