Iva 

Editor: So, here we have Sofia Bonati’s "Iva," an undated acrylic painting on, I presume, paper. There's a striking stillness about the figure, and the high-contrast botanical wallpaper gives me a bit of a melancholic vibe. What catches your eye, looking at this piece? Curator: Oh, my dear, I feel as though I've stepped into someone's daydream. Or perhaps one of those memories you just can’t shake, no matter how hard you try! I’m so drawn to the flattening of space and the slightly off-kilter perspective, especially the model looking behind her like she expects to meet my gaze… Do you get that feeling of being watched? It’s a potent mixture of intimacy and voyeurism. Editor: I do see that now. The wallpaper definitely has a "behind the glass" feel too. But why do you call the picture plane "flattened"? Curator: Note how Bonati handles depth, or, perhaps more accurately, doesn't! There’s very little traditional shading to suggest volume, is there? Everything, the figure and that almost aggressively patterned background, exist on pretty much the same plane. And tell me, does that impact the emotional effect? I feel somehow more directly *connected* with her, almost shoulder-to-shoulder in my thoughts. Editor: Yes, I hadn't thought of it that way, but you’re right! It’s almost confrontational in its intimacy. Thanks, I'll look at other works by Bonati with these concepts in mind! Curator: Wonderful! Always seek the unspoken invitation hiding just beneath the surface, darling. It rarely disappoints.