Picnic (quadriptych) 1980

Editor: Walasse Ting’s “Picnic (quadriptych),” from 1980, done in acrylic paint... It's so vibrant! The composition, divided into these four panels, almost feels like a series of brightly colored, slightly surreal still lifes. What do you see in this piece? Curator: For me, it’s about the sheer exuberance of the materials themselves. Ting embraces acrylic with a childlike glee, right? The thickness, the layering, how the colors sit on the canvas – it speaks to a deliberate, almost defiant, challenge to traditional notions of "high art" painting. Notice how the individual brushstrokes are not trying to disappear, they’re there for us to witness. Editor: Definitely, you can see each layer. So it's about celebrating the medium itself and the process of creation, more than depicting, say, a perfect still life? Curator: Precisely! Think about where acrylics were situated in the art world in 1980. Often seen as 'lesser' than oils. Ting elevates them, almost as a rebellion. Also consider, what does ‘picnic’ suggest? An everyday, accessible event, open to anyone. How does the materiality—the 'cheapness' of acrylic perhaps—inform our reading of accessibility? Editor: That makes a lot of sense. The brightness and slightly naive style contribute to that accessible feel, pushing back on what art 'should' be. I guess it also plays with our ideas around mass culture through materiality, given that acrylic paints were readily available for artists at the time... Curator: Exactly. And who has access to ‘fine art’ versus ‘craft’ materials? So, by embracing and showcasing acrylic, he's also questioning who gets to make art, and what constitutes ‘valuable’ art in the first place. Editor: I never would have thought of it that way. I came in thinking the vibrant colors were just aesthetic, but it is very purposeful given that context. I’ll be paying a lot more attention to material now! Curator: Glad to help show how materials reflect so much more than meet the eye.