Marcus 

Editor: So, this acrylic painting is called "Marcus," by Alfred Conteh. I'm immediately struck by the unusual layering of colors across the figure, this striped effect that almost seems to melt. What are your initial thoughts on this piece? Curator: Considering the means of production, the artist’s choice of acrylic and canvas situates the work within a contemporary dialogue about painting's role. These materials are readily available and widely used, suggesting a conscious decision to engage with a "democratic" art form, diverging from the perceived elitism of traditional oil painting. What is interesting about this portrait, and maybe somewhat subversive, is how the painting refuses a clear demarcation between surface and subject. Editor: Can you elaborate on that a little more? Curator: Consider how the figure is rendered through repetitive, almost manufactured stripes. This denies the artwork from capturing the individual subjectivity. This approach underscores the material reality of painting, shifting our focus from mere representation to an appreciation of process and labor, therefore transforming the portrait from simple representation into a symbol of human and worker. Do you see any reference in this specific material handling, and the colors adopted by the author? Editor: The palette has earth tones like reddish brown that evoke manual labor but also perhaps something related to traditional African art practices, like with body paint or tribal markings, in the repartition of pigments on the skin. So is he making us reflect on labor in a very literal sense and a form of cultural appropriation? Curator: Exactly! That interplay is at the heart of understanding Conteh's practice, wouldn't you agree? Editor: Definitely, the focus on material and its social implications has given me a completely different understanding of the painting!