Threshold 2017

Editor: This is Joshua Flint’s “Threshold” from 2017, an acrylic painting, and there's something really dreamlike about the figures nestled within what seems to be a decaying or unfinished space. How do you see this work? Curator: From a materialist perspective, "Threshold" invites an investigation into the means of its creation. Flint uses acrylic, a synthetic polymer paint, challenging the traditional association of oil paint with 'high art'. Note the tension between the romantic subject and the immediacy, almost rawness, of the acrylic application. How does the contrast between the durable permanence suggested by the subject matter and what some might perceive as acrylic’s more ‘ephemeral’ status affect your understanding? Editor: I never thought of it that way. The use of acrylic almost makes the image feel like it's still in progress, even unfinished. But the intimate scene makes me want to pause. It does make me think about how the artist chose this material to reflect this modern moment. Curator: Precisely. And consider the "unfinished" space: does it speak to contemporary anxieties around housing, labour, and even environmental collapse? Is the intimacy of the figures in defiance or perhaps even a product of that backdrop? Look at the thin application of the paint - there’s nothing really traditionally skillful there. He shows his process and doesn't really try to hide that. Editor: That makes a lot of sense. I guess the charm really is the rough application of paint. I was focused on the central subject. It challenges preconceived notions of beauty in "fine art" settings. Curator: Exactly! By embracing readily available materials like acrylic, and seemingly simple, quick brushwork, Flint democratizes art-making itself, prompting questions about artistic skill, value, and access in a capitalist system. I wonder, in what other ways might contemporary artists challenge traditional production and display systems? Editor: This was really enlightening; I definitely look at this piece differently now. Thank you for sharing this.