FISH STORY ALLAN SEKULA Witte de With, center for contemporary art, Rotterdam 21.01.1995–12.03.1995 Fotografiska Museet in Moderna Museet, Stockholm 06.05.1995–27.08.1995 Tramway, Glasgow 06.10.1995–12.11.1995 Le Channel, Scène nationale and Musée des Beaux Arts et de la Dentelle, Calais 16.12.1995–25.02.1996 RICHTER VERLAG Project and Exhibition Coordination Witte de With, center for contemporary art, Rotterdam: Chris Dercon, Paul van Gennip Local Exhibition Curators: Fotografiska Museet in Moderna Museet, Stockholm: Jan Erik Lundström; Tramway, Glasgow: Charles Esche; Le Channel, Scène nationale de Calais, Calais: Marie-Thérèse Champesme; Musée des Beaux-Arts et de la Dentelle, Calais: Annette Haudiquet Catalogue Design: Allan Sekula, Catherine Lorenz Editor: Barbera van Kooij Editorial Assistant: Robin Resch Printer: Druckerei Winterscheidt GmbH, Düsseldorf Publishers: Witte de With, center for contemporary art, Rotterdam, and Richter Verlag, Düsseldorf Edition: 3.000 softcover copies, 1.000 hardcover copies © Allan Sekula and Witte de With, center for contemporary art, Rotterdam © “Allan Sekula: Photography Between Discourse and Document,” Benjamin H.D. Buchloh and Witte de With, center for contemporary art, Rotterdam © photographs, Allan Sekula Witte de With, center for contemporary art, Witte de Withstraat 50, 3012 BR Rotterdam, Nederland, Tel. 31 (0)10 411 01 44, Fax. 31 (0)10 411 79 24, Witte de With is an initiative of the Rotterdam Arts Council and is supported by the Dutch Ministry of Culture. Staff: Gé Beckman, Chris Dercon, Paul van Gennip, Roland Groenenboom, Chris de Jong, Barbera van Kooij, Maaike Ritsema, Miranda Spek, Rutger Wolfson and Bob Goedewaagen Fotografiska Museet in Moderna Museet, Box 16382, 10327 Stockholm, Sweden Tel. 46 (0)8 666 43 86, Fax. 46 (0)8 611 62 75. Curatorial staff: Peter Åström, Eva Bagge-Milanesio, Jan-Erik Lundström, Håkan Petersson Tramway, 25 Albert Drive, Glasgow G41 2PE, Scotland, Tel. 44 (0)41 422 20 23, Fax. 44 (0)41 422 20 21. Tramway is owned by the Glasgow City Council and managed by the Department of Performing Arts and Venues (Director: Robert Palmer). It is subsidised by the Scottish Arts Council. Curatorial staff: Katrina Brown, Nathan Coley, Charles Esche Le Channel, Scène nationale de Calais Galerie de l’ancienne poste, 13 Boulevard Gambetta, B.P. 77, 62102 Calais Cedex, France, Tel. 33 21 46 77 10, Fax. 33 21 46 77 20. Le Channel is subsidised by la Ville de Calais, le Ministère de la Culture et de la Francophonie, la Région Nord/Pas-de-Calais, le Département du Pas-de-Calais. Curatorial staff: Marie-Thérèse Champesme Musée des Beaux-Arts et de la Dentelle, 25 rue Richelieu, 62100 Calais, France, Tel. 33 21 46 62 00, poste 6317, Fax. 33 21 46 62 09. Curatorial staf: Annette Haudiquet The organizers would like to thank: Gerlach Art Packers and Shippers, Amsterdam; Ron de Hoog, Een visie in lijsten, Maassluis; Rotterdam Arts Council, Rotterdam; Stichting Bevordering van Volkskracht, Rotterdam; Het Ministerie van O.C.W., Rijswijk; Nedlloyd Groep, Rotterdam; Stichting Bevordering van Volkskracht, Rotterdam ISBN 90-73362-30-X ISBN e-book: 978-94-91435-36-2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Fish Story Loaves and Fishes Dismal Science: Part 1 Middle Passage Seventy in Seven Dismal Science: Part 2 Message in a Bottle True Cross Dictatorship of the Seven Seas Epilogue Allan Sekula: Photography between Discourse and Document Benjamin H.D. Buchloh A Note on the Work Acknowledgments Credits and Sources To five people, for all of whom, in different ways, the sea holds meaning: Evelyn Sekula, Stefan Sekula, Sally Stein, Stan Weir and Robert Wilkie. FISH STORY A sea-fight must either take place tomorrow or not, but it is not necessary that it should take place tomorrow, nor is it necessary that it should not take place. Aristotle, De Interpretatione 1