For the Dark Finds Ways of Being Engraved in the Light 2017

Editor: This is Soey Milk's mixed media piece "For the Dark Finds Ways of Being Engraved in the Light," created in 2017. At first glance, I’m really struck by the way it uses chaotic, almost graffiti-like elements with really vibrant color. It has this really fascinating, yet almost hidden figuration to it. How do you interpret this work? Art Historian: This piece certainly resonates on multiple levels. Milk uses expressionistic gesture to confront binaries, dark/light, joy/sorrow, figuring and obfuscating what could be everyday objects. Do you see these tensions? Editor: Definitely. I think the bright colours give it this optimistic surface, but when you look closer you see the more sombre, darker elements sort of encroaching. Art Historian: Exactly! Look at how Milk plays with materiality. Mixed media allows her to create layers that evoke the complexities of memory, personal and collective histories. What kind of conversations do you think the artist is attempting? Editor: I’d say she’s making statements about human emotions and experiences. Those everyday items seem symbolic, almost as a narrative. What historical themes do you observe in Milk's body of work? Art Historian: She investigates how identity is formed through displacement, intergenerational relations, specifically highlighting women’s lived experiences. It also challenges the traditional canon by placing previously marginalized voices at the forefront. Editor: So, beyond the visually stunning nature, the layers are deeply interwoven with history and human understanding! Art Historian: Precisely! By embracing complex, multi-layered, perspectives, she invites us to question established truths. We gain a richer understanding, beyond mere appearances. Editor: I hadn't considered Milk's artistic agency as an act of reclamation. Art Historian: Art is indeed, powerful.