Expression of the present 2013

Editor: We're looking at "Expression of the Present" by Alfred Freddy Krupa, created in 2013 using mixed media. The frantic lines and use of what seems to be prescription drug packaging as a backdrop create a really unsettling mood. What do you make of it? Curator: That unsettling feeling is a powerful starting point. I'm immediately drawn to how Krupa layers personal expression – that raw, gestural figuration – onto the clinical, commercial language of pharmaceuticals. It begs the question: What does it mean to express oneself in a world increasingly mediated by medication and clinical diagnosis? The artist juxtaposes the supposed objectivity of medical labels with the messy, subjective experience of being human. What narratives are created by setting a portrait amongst commercial signifiers of a pharmaceutical? Editor: So, it's about the tension between individual feelings and a system that tries to define them? Curator: Precisely. And consider the title, "Expression of the Present." It grounds the artwork in a specific moment – 2013 – a time marked by increased awareness and critique surrounding mental health, medication, and societal pressures. How do these elements – date, materials, title – inform the overall message? Editor: The backdrop makes me wonder about mental health, perhaps questioning the over-prescription or reliance on medication in today’s society. Curator: Absolutely. By utilizing the packaging itself, Krupa implicates us, the viewers, in this system. It's not just a critique; it’s a visual representation of how these systems permeate our very existence. The orange shapes highlight an internal dynamic as if the figure’s feeling states can’t be contained within it's form. This highlights the tensions that form us as a community of beings. Editor: I hadn’t thought about it that way. Seeing the materials as actively contributing to the statement is eye-opening. Curator: Exactly. By creating art of everyday objects the mundane is turned into high art and a voice against systematic disassociation. Editor: This has totally shifted my perspective; I’ll definitely look at art, and its materials, differently now.