The Adler Index

Cicero’s Garden proposes a new aesthetic territory that bridges writing and photography practices. By embedding textual prompts within each image, these works seek a ‘thirdness’— a resonant space between text and photograph, neither fully linguistic nor purely visual.

Composed from a collection of childhood magazines, these images interrogate the idea of an archive as recording both a presence and an absence, reaching beyond visible boundaries to trace latent personal histories, invite introspection, and surface meaning through fragmentary connections.

Constructed atop the contemplative, universal space of a desk, these large-format photographs (50”x40”) magnify the intimacy of personal space, inviting viewers into detailed, immersive experiences.

Having worked under contemporary photographers like Thomas Demand and Uta Barth, Adler draws on these conceptual influences—channeling Demand’s sculptural still lifes and Barth’s subtle yet profound explorations of perception.

"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need." -Marcus Tullius Cicero