Dividing Lines

“Great light accentuates things that would otherwise seem very commonplace,” says photographer David La Spina. And, indeed, La Spina’s tranquil, black-and-white snapshots focus on everyday scenes and objects across Staten Island and the Bronx. Fences, yards, bus stops, storefronts and street corners transform under layers of shadow and light into striking dividing lines—boundaries between spaces. At the same time, La Spina’s work recognizes that the City, his home and subject for the past five years, is far from inanimate. Recalling Christine Osinski’s grayscale portraiture of 1980s Staten Island, La Spina’s work captures anonymous, distant passersby, which he suggests “activate” their surroundings and allow viewers to “envision themselves in the space.” Experience these spaces for yourself in the following gallery. —Gillian Osswald