The Samuel Jackson 5 2009

Editor: This mixed-media piece, "The Samuel Jackson 5," created in 2009 by Dave Macdowell, is a striking image. It immediately evokes pop art with its bold figuration. What is particularly fascinating to me is the combination of oil and acrylic paint with… something else to give it that kind of… pop. What grabs you about it? Curator: Well, let’s think about what’s *being* produced here. Macdowell is giving us Samuel L. Jackson multiplied, sure. But he’s also manufacturing a very specific kind of cultural consumption. Consider the Big Kahuna Burger, the nod to "Pulp Fiction," that funky meal. It’s a layering of references, right? But how does that influence our understanding of the work's meaning and social context? Editor: It feels very much like…appropriation. He's using existing images, the cinematic and the commercial, and transforming them into something new. Is he commenting on our culture of celebrity worship and fast food? Curator: Exactly! And, more broadly, on the *processes* through which fame and taste are created. Oil and acrylic paints are being used here, yes, but they’re serving the agenda to show *things*. Consumer goods. Is it a painting, or is it propaganda? Think about it: how the materiality of these elements reinforces the painting’s message, and what power dynamics are in play. Editor: So, you are less focused on it being *just* a portrait, and more about how these elements are used to shape our perspective? Curator: Precisely. It challenges traditional notions of high art by bringing in accessible pop-cultural references, which makes you question… who is this for? And how does its making implicate these larger networks of labor and commodification? Editor: That is interesting, viewing it in light of materials being commodities in themselves, not just in the final product. Curator: Indeed. So we are not just admiring a painting, but deconstructing the production chain behind this… phenomenon. Editor: This has given me a totally different view to consider now.