Untitled 1973

Editor: This is Ansei Uchima's "Untitled," a mixed-media print on paper from 1973. The gradation of color from pink to blue, coupled with the abstract shapes, is really quite striking. It has such a dreamlike quality, but also a definite sense of process... How might you interpret this work? Curator: Considering its materiality, let's think about how Uchima actually made this print. The blend of color suggests a careful, deliberate process, perhaps using multiple plates or stencils. The “handmade” feel contrasts with the concept of mass production. What kind of labor went into creating those floating forms, with their hard edged perimeters against that dreamy gradation? Editor: So you're focusing on the labor and process involved, rather than a symbolic reading? I guess I was sort of seeing clouds or islands... Curator: The “clouds” or “islands” are significant *because* of the work involved! The material reality shapes how we view the forms themselves. Also consider that '73 was a politically charged year – does the seeming abstraction hide any kind of material social critique? Is this work meant to challenge art's relation to labor and craft? Editor: I never really thought about prints in terms of challenging the art world status quo, but I guess that's true. Curator: Precisely. What do you make of the use of paper itself as a material consideration? Editor: Now that you mention it, the choice of paper, and its texture, becomes much more present. So by thinking about the *how* and the *what* of its creation, it forces you to consider deeper social issues... Curator: Exactly. It shifts the conversation. Now when you see abstract forms like this, perhaps you will think about their production as much as their aesthetic. Editor: Definitely. Thanks; I’m leaving with a much more critical perspective.