Tolerancia (Tolerance) 2003

Curator: What strikes me immediately about this piece is its sort of... grave solemnity. I'm sensing a powerful statement here. Editor: Indeed. The work, titled "Tolerancia," or "Tolerance" was completed in 2003. It appears to employ a mixed-media approach encompassing drawing and sculpture. The artist is Marina Pallares. Curator: The multiple, arched windows remind me of altarpieces, don't you think? And each 'scene' plays out like a moment frozen in time—enigmatic little stage sets each subtly, unnervingly, different. It definitely suggests the carving element in Pallares’ work. Editor: There's certainly a narrative quality in the geometric structure; these stark little compartments seem to create different planes of visual information which play out like the frames of some experimental film strip, almost mocking conventions around depth, light and space. Note how in the upper left quadrant there is a sense of open dialogue against the completely masked, dark scene immediately right of it. The artist sets a unique tone with each compartment, playing into the conceptual strength of “tolerance.” Curator: The geometric element to each carving truly adds to this sense. It feels architectural almost, each form working as an allegory that’s meant to force our acceptance, and the subtle, repetitive framing makes a case for multiple possibilities. Even if that case is wrought with grim understones. Editor: And while stark contrasts in black and white give this art piece depth through a balance in negative space, it’s worth noting this artist's manipulation of different levels. The sculpture work here suggests that what appears in each setting isn’t entirely what it appears to be. The forms blend almost impossibly with what frames them, playing tricks on the eye, especially with tolerance in mind. Curator: Definitely. These strange, sculptural reliefs are haunting and thought-provoking; Marina Pallares isn’t holding any punches in challenging her viewer here. This piece remains unsettling and powerful, even now. Editor: A stark representation; artist Marina Pallares pushes past accepted aesthetics and theory to explore important themes of what holds our societies together.