Wim Wenders is one of the most significant filmmakers of our time. Safeway was originally captured while the artist was in the American West preparing to shoot his classic film Paris, Texas (1984). He is interested in the omnipresence of lettering, signs and advertisements.

The dark-shadow cast by the bright-red 'SAFEWAY' sign is an important element in the composition, appearing bold and sharp like the lettering itself. Influenced by the American photographer Walker Evans, Wenders’ photographs often employ a similar strategy of substituting people with signs and lettering, which creates both a sense of past activity and present isolation.