Triangular Corner Safe c. 1941

Curator: Ah, Rosa Rivero's "Triangular Corner Safe," circa 1941. A deceptively simple drawing in wood and paper. Editor: It's almost melancholy, isn’t it? The wood looks aged, familiar. There’s something intimate about that open door, a quiet invitation to peer inside and wonder about its history. Curator: The realism is quite striking, isn't it? Consider the context, though. Rivero was working during a time of significant socio-economic shifts. The careful rendering of a humble, everyday object like this cabinet elevates its status. It becomes a document, a record of a specific material culture. Editor: That's interesting... for me, it’s the light that draws me in. How it caresses the shelves, implying hidden stories. I keep imagining what kind of treasures people have stored in this wooden belly, you know, preserving not only spices but their memories in between. Curator: Well, its placement in museums serves a function, a continuous engagement with objects representing diverse backgrounds, highlighting personal narratives of both its maker and inhabitants. This, of course, frames public interaction. Editor: Yes, and a dialogue. Does this old cupboard contain more than it seems, like our history and beliefs perhaps? This resonates in an eerie fashion, like entering grandma’s chamber, so close and cozy yet filled with strange odors of vanished meals and unknown objects! Curator: Precisely! The act of preservation, whether on the part of the artist or the institution, always shapes meaning and underscores value in some form. Editor: It makes you consider what "safe" meant in 1941, too. Was it about safeguarding family treasures, essentials for survival or securing privacy from neighbours and relatives? Perhaps she suggests a shelter. Curator: Definitely a poignant point! What appeared functional in origin transforms as we contemplate wider themes on its implications throughout the decades. Editor: For sure! A humble drawing can evoke vast and deep perspectives of reality and survival... a great memento Mori about resilience and life’s everyday grace!