nowadays floating 2013

Editor: So, here we have Malte Sonnenfeld's "nowadays floating" from 2013, a mixed-media collage and painting. There's something unsettling but also kind of intriguing about its layers and the images used. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Indeed. The piece immediately evokes a vanitas theme, steeped in symbolic imagery across cultures and eras. Notice the skull, the fading candle, and even the flower – each carries connotations of mortality and the fleeting nature of life. But Sonnenfeld isn’t just presenting a traditional memento mori. The layering of street art elements like graffiti and the commercial sticker introduces a contemporary dissonance. What feelings do these specific additions conjure for you? Editor: I think the "B-Möbel Boss" sticker—it’s like, this stark contrast between consumerism and mortality makes you question what we value. Curator: Precisely! This friction speaks volumes about our cultural memory and how symbols evolve. Traditionally, vanitas paintings served as moral lessons within domestic spaces. By incorporating graffiti and commercial elements, Sonnenfeld asks us to consider how these age-old themes resonate, or perhaps *don’t*, in our hyper-stimulated, consumer-driven world. The skull isn't in a quiet study, but almost emerging from the visual chaos of the modern street. What continuities and disruptions do you observe here in visual language? Editor: It's fascinating how these traditionally distinct symbol sets seem to collide, giving fresh insight to well known iconographies. Curator: Agreed. It suggests the persistent, almost unavoidable presence of certain themes – like mortality – even amidst modernity's constant noise and visual bombardment. Editor: That’s a really interesting point. I never considered how even modern graffiti could carry its own symbolic weight or connect with such classic themes. Curator: Indeed, and considering Sonnenfeld’s composition through a psychological lens, you might even say that the painting itself is a kind of “cultural memory palace”, each symbol triggering a complex web of associations and feelings. Editor: Thank you, that’s given me so much to consider. Curator: My pleasure. Hopefully it illustrates how, when we examine and combine layers of symbolism, we might see the conversation that resonates from centuries ago up to today.