E = mc2 or Tribute to Einstein, 1968 

Curator: Alekos Kontopoulos created this mixed-media piece, "E = mc2 or Tribute to Einstein," around 1968. I'm particularly drawn to how it combines painting and other materials to evoke the complex ideas behind Einstein's famous equation. Editor: Well, right off the bat, it feels a little… chaotic, doesn't it? Like peering into someone's very intelligent, but very messy, thought process. There’s a lot going on with layers obscuring each other. The colour palette, those muddied greys, and reds add to that feeling of complexity and, perhaps, a touch of obfuscation? Curator: Exactly! I think the muddiness, the visible texture of the paint, that feeling of layering... all point to how the artwork represents the challenge of visualizing an equation which reveals the intricate relationships within the universe. He's making it visible, tangible, even, using the raw materials of art-making to engage with abstract theoretical physics. Editor: Yes, the materials speak to the labor involved. Look at how the visible brushstrokes make a really interesting counterpoint to the precision of the printed equation itself. Did he, perhaps, mean to suggest how much effort, how much back-and-forth and reworking is required for innovation? Like intellectual rough work made visible. Curator: That's a lovely idea. And it brings me to consider the very materiality of Einstein’s idea represented in such material form as this painting; Kontopoulos seems to meditate on making intangible physics tangible via artistic labor. Does bringing science closer through visual means enhance or cheapen its inherent genius? Editor: A thought provoking point! Looking at the materials here, especially considering this was created in the late 60s, I can’t help thinking about production, and accessibility of the supplies for artists. It poses, in my mind, a contrast: intellectual freedom versus social limitation in that moment. Does the materiality serve only high minded ideals or also point to more down-to-earth struggles? Curator: An excellent way to put it. It makes one question if even genius isn’t formed in relationship with and limited by material and social contexts? But the interplay between the printed lettering and the messy paint also says something hopeful about creative potential. Editor: I concur, especially when one is facing barriers! This is not merely a picture *of* science, but a visualization *through* the act of creation; its energy is what still resonates powerfully today.