Time Before History 1994

Curator: Let's delve into Sam Gilliam's mixed-media collage from 1994, "Time Before History." We can see immediate elements of collage, and layering with acrylic paint too. It is in an abstract expressionist style. Editor: Wow, it feels almost like looking into a fragmented memory, doesn't it? The colours seem to vibrate with a life of their own, even chaotic life... but is somehow compelling. Curator: The materials themselves become actors in Gilliam's exploration. Notice how he combines and overlays different papers and textures with quite a thick application of acrylic and other binding agents. I'm especially drawn to how he frames collage segments to introduce formal structure into a composition, while still employing many spontaneous gestural applications. Editor: It's interesting. To me, the framing gives a feeling of holding something back, or containing an emotion or a part of history perhaps. Is that why its titled ‘Time Before History’? A moment to contemplate origins? A moment perhaps inaccessible through traditional narratives? Curator: Potentially, or a comment on art's relationship with both material culture, labor, and documentation in contemporary practices? By repurposing materials he is effectively challenging distinctions between 'high art' and 'low craft,' which is to me is interesting given how labor is considered today. Editor: Definitely, the roughness creates such intriguing tension, and yes, there's this raw almost primordial sense. Like he’s unearthing, not necessarily constructing but deconstructing and reconstructing... Curator: Precisely. He invites us to consider the story behind the materials and their original functions and purposes before this artwork. What are they? Where do they come from? He seems eager for you to challenge traditional perceptions, in abstraction, medium and in subject. Editor: It’s a dense, intricate composition that invites many interpretations but certainly worth contemplating and experiencing. I can see Gilliam was having fun. Curator: Absolutely. For me it underscores the potent relationship between abstraction, appropriation, and artistic creation in the late 20th century.