Atlantic 1996

Curator: Dmytro Kavsan's "Atlantic," painted in 1996 using oil, is quite remarkable. It strikes me immediately as both opulent and dreamlike. What is your initial response? Editor: The scale is captivating. And that rich, almost decadent layering of images - it feels as if materials themselves are becoming the subject matter. Curator: The window motif, I find particularly engaging, creating an explicit framing device that calls into question boundaries of inside and outside. Consider the symbolic resonance, what it might suggest about shifting borders. The presence of many tiny figures suggests the world reflected in our domestic spaces is, too, densely populated. Editor: And I wonder about this juxtaposition between still life, landscape and genre painting traditions. The materiality of those piled-high grapes against the ocean vista -- there’s something disruptive in that pairing, isn’t there? This looks like luxury rendered as something quite absurd! Curator: Indeed, the tiny boats echo labor, both recreational and perhaps a nod to trade, situated against the lush backdrop and hinting at social stratification embedded in this seemingly idyllic setting. Are the fruits metaphors for plenty born on exploited labor? Is it even right for the viewer to want such richness? Editor: Precisely. By piling materials upon one another, by drawing our attention to excess through objects of fruit and leisure and that sun-drenched seascape, there's commentary, wouldn't you say, on our relationship to production and consumption, the costs that accompany this so called paradise? Curator: Agreed. It’s impossible to ignore questions around inequality and the resources required to build such fantastic tableaus and indeed how we frame paradise to ignore so much from it. Editor: Reflecting upon “Atlantic,” I am struck by its interrogation of the value assigned to labor within realms of both art and the wider world, an interrogation powerfully brought to light by an abundance of stuff, stuff as theme. Curator: I think your perspective brings crucial clarity: Kavsan uses this lavish abundance to unveil critical inquiries surrounding privilege, commodification, and representation in art and life. The painting thus becomes an invitation to rethink those critical social dialogues that should always be in progress.