Espacio recorrido #72 2000

Editor: This is Pablo Rey's "Espacio recorrido #72," from 2000, done in watercolor. It's… playful, I guess? All these floating shapes. What do you see in this piece? Curator: It’s interesting how Rey uses watercolor, traditionally associated with amateur art, to create these almost technical drawings. Notice the interplay between the gestural looseness of the paint and the precision of the lines. It makes me think about how so-called 'high art' appropriates the techniques and materials of craft, blurring those established hierarchies. Editor: So, the *way* he's using the watercolor is significant? Like he's commenting on…the art world itself? Curator: Precisely. Think about the labour involved in producing each shape, each line. He’s emphasizing the process, the very *making* of the art. Where do these geometric and biomorphic shapes originate? Are they plans, blueprints, biological drawings? Their function isn't obvious and their relation is ambivalent. It could reflect a globalized society. Does that seem a reasonable interpretation? Editor: It does. I hadn't thought about the time he spent on it. The lack of a clear function... makes you wonder about our consumer culture in the late 90s. Curator: And consider where this was made, Argentina in 2000. A time of economic and political upheaval, a time of raw, accessible materiality contrasting against more exclusive techniques. A luxury such as fine art or watercolors. Editor: So the materials themselves reflect a social and historical context. It's not just "pretty colours." Curator: Exactly. That friction between medium and message is precisely what makes the piece compelling. Editor: I see what you mean! I'll definitely look at abstract art differently now. Curator: Good, because seeing is also thinking.