[no title: p. 229] 1970

Curator: This intriguing piece, by Esq Tom Phillips, presents a dense field of altered text. The dimensions are relatively small, about 190 by 140 millimeters. It feels almost like a palimpsest, doesn't it? Editor: Yes, the layering is quite striking! The red shapes disrupt the underlying text, creating a visual tension. It's like a censored document, perhaps hinting at suppressed narratives or obscured histories. The phrases that emerge—"a child," "photograph," "lifted from his heart"—they suggest fragmented memories, but of whom? Curator: Precisely. The artist's gesture of obscuration invites us to consider what is being concealed as much as what is revealed. Notice, too, the words Phillips allows us to see. They become focal points, almost like found poems within the larger composition. The contrasting textures create an interesting dynamic. Editor: This work evokes a sense of vulnerability. The obscured text reflects societal silence, and the surviving words are whispers, urging us to fill in the gaps and question the power structures that create such erasures. Curator: A compelling point; the work prompts us to consider the construction of meaning itself. Editor: Indeed, it’s a powerful reminder of the voices that art can amplify, and of the histories it can help us reimagine.