Boot 

Curator: What I find arresting about Sue Coe’s print, simply titled "Boot", is its immediacy. I feel a jolt, an unpleasant recognition of power… the kind that makes you recoil a little. Editor: Yes, recoil is exactly the right word. The stark, almost brutal, rendering immediately evokes a feeling of unease. There's something inherently sinister about the looming foot and the helpless-looking piglets below. I wonder, what draws you to this work, personally? Curator: Well, beyond the raw emotion, I’m captivated by Coe’s ability to weave together themes of domination and vulnerability. Notice the composition; it's incredibly unbalanced. The heavy, dark boot dominates the frame, dwarfing both the tiny, distant figure in the background, and the even smaller pigs below. Editor: And that foot! It feels deliberately ambiguous. Is it a human foot? A monstrous creation? It's both terrifying and anonymous, symbolic of a vast, faceless power. Consider also the historical use of the pig motif: from Ancient Greece to Orwell's Animal Farm, pigs are laden with symbolic weight, representing everything from gluttony and greed to political corruption and mindless following. Curator: Right! Coe layers these potent symbols in a way that feels viscerally honest. It’s not just a political statement; it’s a howl of protest, etched into the very lines of the print. The almost claustrophobic perspective—as if we’re trapped on the ground with these piglets—makes it deeply affecting. She pulls us right into the thick of it, confronting us with a perspective that is both confronting and undeniably moving. What lingers most for you after experiencing the work? Editor: It is, undoubtedly, the work's unflinching nature. "Boot" avoids any easy resolution, challenging us to grapple with uncomfortable truths about power dynamics and the consequences of unchecked authority, making its message resonate deeply and hauntingly. Curator: Ultimately, it feels like a stark invitation—or dare I say, a summons—to consider our place in the system, and question what power we ourselves wield, and towards what ends.