Richard Caldicutt, Anchovies, 1996

Anchovy, the salty, small and intensely fishy fish, is unmistakable. This 1996 photograph of a tin of anchovies by the British artist Richard Caldicutt is showing at Photo Basel this week (Volkshaus Basel, until 16 June). Formalist, sculptural and Pop at the same time, Caldicutt is a photographic artist who appreciates good lines and lighting, and is equally fascinated by mass-produced things (in other works he made in the 1990s he turned his lense on Tupperware). This photograph takes the humble tin of anchovies and turns it, via the camera, into another—and significantly less stinky—item.