Shirow 2021

Curator: It’s an oddly affecting piece, isn't it? Something about the direct gaze of this tabby. Editor: Striking. My first thought is of the almost tangible oil paint, look at those built-up textures in the background against the smoothness of the fur! Do you know anything about the creation? Curator: Indeed! This is "Shirow" created in 2021 using oil paint. The artist, Soey Milk, clearly utilizes a classic genre-painting approach, but gives it a twist, almost personifying the animal subject. Think of the long history of representing cats – divine symbols of grace, domestic companions, and, perhaps most powerfully, symbols of independence. Does it resonate for you? Editor: Absolutely. The labor to achieve such photo-realism in oil speaks to the human relationship with domestic animals today. They are commodity, yes, but clearly hold deeper meaning. Is that some sort of orange flower used decoratively? Curator: Yes, it’s a delicate arrangement; blooms seemingly bursting from the darkness around the cat. Floral arrangements can signify everything from transient beauty to a kind of domesticated wildness. The blooms themselves could allude to the cycle of life, hinting at a world beyond our domesticated comforts. I almost read them like wings, evoking themes of transformation. Editor: Transformation... in material terms, oil paint itself underwent a transformation! Pigment harvested and bound with oil and then applied painstakingly to canvas, a practice refined by human craftspeople over centuries. I suppose this artist engages with all that art history and consumption simply in the act of making, no? Curator: Precisely. And ultimately what remains is a dialogue with an image; a connection sparked between the viewer and the artifice, laden with shared symbols and a very compelling contemporary vision. Editor: An interesting and affecting image, regardless of its production context or intended symbolic weight. It's always valuable to consider these additional dimensions in any work.