Mud Dream 2 1990

Editor: This is "Mud Dream 2" by Maggi Hambling. It's a monochromatic work on paper. The contrast is so striking. What images or ideas does it conjure for you? Curator: The starkness invites contemplation on origins, doesn't it? Mud, in many cultures, symbolizes creation, but also entombment. Hambling seems to be playing with these ideas, a dance between birth and decay. Do you see the figures struggling within the darkness above? Editor: I do now. I was focused on the swirling, chaotic feeling. That adds another layer. Curator: Yes, the tension between representation and abstraction evokes powerful subconscious emotions. It makes one consider the cyclical nature inherent to all life, doesn't it? Editor: It certainly does. I'll never look at mud the same way again. Curator: Nor will I, now that you've pointed out the chaos.