Untitled 

Curator: This is an untitled charcoal drawing by Craig Mullins. At first glance, what stands out to you? Editor: The vulnerability, immediately. There's an almost unfinished quality, like a study. But this raw immediacy speaks volumes about the artist's willingness to expose something deeply personal. It begs the question, what stories or self-perceptions is he exploring here? Curator: Indeed, the work is rendered using charcoal on what seems to be paper. You notice the quick, expressive strokes that build the form, which indicate the materiality. Considering Mullins' larger body of work, how might this particular drawing be positioned within art history's emphasis on production processes, material explorations, and their impact on our interpretation? Editor: It challenges the conventional view of "high art." Charcoal, historically used for preparatory sketches, is here the final medium. Is Mullins drawing on queer theories, perhaps? Playing with the idea of visibility and labor, questioning what it means to present a portrait that is so palpably human, warts and all. Is there, here, an idea around masculine portraiture or queer desire, as theorized by thinkers such as Leo Bersani? Curator: Good point. I see how the layering of charcoal creates depth and texture. The varying pressure and blending give a tactile sense of the model's skin and musculature, it gives us an impression of making. I appreciate the unpretentious material at play here. Editor: Right. He's really toying with the gaze, too, inviting us to contemplate his own humanity but also questioning traditional notions of idealised representation. Curator: Absolutely. In stripping the image down to essential strokes and a humble material, he seems to draw attention to the artistic labor. The making becomes evident. Editor: And, within the context of contemporary portraiture, it certainly sparks discussion about power dynamics. Who is represented and how? The medium, the pose, the gaze—everything becomes a potential site for questioning dominant narratives around gender and identity. Curator: Well, this piece definitely pushes beyond mere representation. Considering the chosen media, the production, and, most crucially, the finished composition, our ideas concerning traditional high and low art paradigms become interrogated. Editor: Absolutely, a powerful testament to art's capacity to challenge, provoke and invite dialogue about fundamental aspects of the human condition and ways of seeing.