Second Millennium 1998

Editor: This is Sue Coe’s "Second Millennium," currently at the Harvard Art Museums. It’s a really striking image, so vivid and grotesque, with all these little scenes happening around the central meat grinder... what's your take on it? Curator: Coe presents a powerful indictment of societal systems. The meat grinder becomes a metaphor for industrial processes, grinding up bodies, ideologies, and histories. How do you see the relationship between the global imagery and the foot? Editor: Well, the foot seems foundational, almost as if the entire operation rests on exploitation and suffering. Curator: Precisely. Coe often explores the intersections of capitalism, animal cruelty, and social injustice. The 'Second Millennium' asks us to confront uncomfortable truths about progress. I wonder, what futures does this painting inspire? Editor: It definitely inspires a deeper questioning of the systems around us. Curator: Indeed. Coe's work is a call to action, urging us to dismantle oppressive structures and create more equitable worlds.