Unravel 

Editor: So, here we have "Unravel," an acrylic painting by Sarah Joncas. There's something really dreamlike and unsettling about the figure with the bandages and floating butterflies. How do you interpret this work? Curator: It’s a striking image, isn't it? The white bands and butterflies immediately call to mind ideas of restriction and transformation, very pertinent in considering the female form through a historical and feminist lens. What narratives are created when female bodies are rendered through surrealist and sexualized visual vocabularies? Editor: Restriction, yes! The figure appears trapped, yet the butterflies hint at freedom or metamorphosis. I hadn't thought about a feminist perspective though. Can you elaborate on that? Curator: Absolutely. Think about the historical depiction of women in art, often as passive objects of beauty, constrained by societal expectations and male gaze. How does the artist confront or subvert such legacies? How do we view women and societal expectation? How has this evolved and not evolved over time? Are we moving into another state of control via censorship or more free self expression? These bandages – are they protection or censorship? The butterflies – fleeting moments of independence in a controlled environment? Editor: That’s a really interesting take. I was focusing on the personal, maybe a psychological struggle, but the broader societal context makes it so much richer. Curator: And those readings aren't mutually exclusive. Trauma, social expectations, and internal change all co-exist, intersect, and weave around the artwork in compelling ways. What is our expectation on the model/figure? The male gaze would certainly place judgement based on unrealistic, sometimes surgically created physical form. How do the butterflies challenge those ideals? Editor: It's amazing how much depth can be found when you start looking at art through different theoretical lenses. Curator: Indeed. Hopefully this exploration prompts ongoing reflections on how artistic vocabularies engage social and political dialogues. Editor: Definitely. I'll never look at butterflies and bandages the same way.