Canto III: [no title] 1981

Editor: This is "Canto III" by Esq Tom Phillips, held at the Tate. It's a collage, and I'm struck by its layered textures and the repeated image of a chair. What stands out to you? Curator: The materiality speaks volumes. Consider the labor involved in sourcing these fragments, their original contexts of consumption, and how Phillips repurposes them. How does this act of re-presentation challenge notions of artistic production? Editor: That's fascinating. So you're saying the value lies in the process of assembling and re-contextualizing, rather than just the final image? Curator: Precisely. It prompts us to question the distinction between high art and the everyday act of making. Editor: I hadn't thought about it that way before. It definitely gives me a new perspective on collage. Curator: Indeed, it's a conversation about art, labor, and the lifecycle of materials.