Blue Shields 1949

Curator: Welcome. Here we see "Blue Shields", a mixed-media print created by Adja Yunkers in 1949. What are your first thoughts? Editor: It's visually striking, even jarring. I'm struck by the density of line and colour—almost a violent clash of shapes softened slightly by the blue tonality. I’d guess the scale encourages an intimate viewing experience. Curator: The scale is relatively modest, yes. I find the layered materials interesting. We see the texture of the printmaking process combined with inks to create varied densities, allowing some sections to breathe. There are also definite shapes battling for primacy. Editor: Considering it’s from 1949, I can’t help but view it through the lens of postwar anxiety. Are these 'shields' defensive or aggressive? The fracturing and almost violent coming together of colour makes me think about the psychological and physical aftermath of war. Curator: It’s insightful to think about postwar anxiety coloring its reception, though the production process has also been interpreted with links to migration. Yunkers himself fled Latvia, suggesting the "shields" might be unstable national identities and fractured spaces caused by geopolitical forces. Editor: Absolutely. We can examine the social and political backdrop—Yunkers, as a refugee, processing displacement, the world dealing with immense trauma, it’s all deeply enmeshed. The ambiguity of abstraction serves that narrative. Are these shields meant to protect, or do they imprison the vulnerable figures trapped within? Curator: Given his embrace of diverse artistic practices, it's clear that his identity as an artist wasn’t rooted in a single location. This is visible in the blending of media used; printing ink, combined to explore texture. These deliberate techniques could have been a vehicle for constructing and representing his ever shifting sense of self. Editor: The title adds another layer. What does ‘Blue’ signify here? Melancholy? Hope? It highlights how colour can be so deeply cultural but so intimately personal. This artwork really invites intersectional interpretations across many thematic elements. Curator: True, "Blue Shields" certainly presents a multitude of ways to understand the making of identity. Editor: Yes, I come away feeling like Yunkers gave form to intangible anxieties in a powerful way, offering space to navigate complexity. Curator: It is certainly worth revisiting. Thank you.