Kundalini Shakti 

Curator: Welcome. Let's discuss "Kundalini Shakti" by Soey Milk. It's an intriguing mixed-media work, appearing to incorporate acrylic paint in a figurative portrait style. What are your first thoughts? Editor: Striking. The juxtaposition of hyper-realistic portraiture with this explosion of Neo-Expressionist paintwork feels…unsettling. Almost like observing a meticulously crafted facade barely containing raw emotion. Curator: Milk's works, often engaging with the nude, can be interpreted through the lens of art history’s complex relationship with the female form and its power as a public symbol and vehicle of both desire and socio-cultural critique. This particular composition merges elements of classical portraiture with a more contemporary, almost confrontational style, prompting us to consider evolving societal perceptions of women and identity within artistic frameworks. Editor: I'm more interested in the "how" of this piece. Look at how she's built up those textures, that background almost fights with the subject for your attention. It appears she begins with fluid applications of thin paint that almost serve as stains, and on top we can clearly identify impasto gestures done with brushes and maybe painting knives to build a certain depth and layering onto the canvas. It’s like the tension itself is embodied in the materiality, mirroring the internal struggle perhaps alluded to by the title. Curator: Interesting perspective, especially linking it to the spiritual connotation of the artwork's title, invoking a sense of energy and transformative process. One could view it as not just the raw emotions erupting from beneath the surface of our social constructions but as something divine or spiritually enlightened about this kind of outburst, but is that our projection of our contemporary ideas? Editor: Precisely. And look at the choice of acrylic. A fast-drying, versatile material. Mass-produced, available for most. It allows for layering but also this incredible immediacy. I suspect her making processes speak about urgent self-expression rather than laborious control or precision typically associated with historical portraiture practices involving more traditional techniques or more elite/expensive mediums. The labor invested here reflects perhaps accessibility, and that challenges hierarchies within the broader art world and art historical context. Curator: I agree. It makes one consider not only how she portrays a single feminine figure, but what is to be extracted about contemporary constructions of female roles based on access, opportunity, availability, and personal transformation as a subject position. Thank you, these viewpoints about “Kundalini Shakti” gave me a lot to consider. Editor: Thank you as well. This analysis of the raw materials really opened my eyes.