The Shedim and the Holy Men - Golden Legend of St Stephen 2016

Editor: This is Joe Machine's "The Shedim and the Holy Men - Golden Legend of St Stephen" from 2016. It seems to be a painting, maybe ink on paper? I'm immediately struck by the rather…unsettling presence of the two pink figures. What is your interpretation of this work? Curator: Ah, yes. Unsettling, yet, perhaps, a touch mischievous too? Notice how the figures, supposedly representing demonic entities, are rendered with a naive hand, almost childlike in their features. They are flanking these two men, but do they pose a threat? Or are they simply…observers? I often feel with Machine's work that his figures are often the observers of our human theater, not actually participants of it, just commenting in the wings so to speak. Do you sense that naivety too? Editor: I do! It reminds me a bit of some outsider art. The way the figures are drawn feels untrained, yet it's deliberate, like a choice to reject conventional artistic skill in favor of something more… raw. Curator: Precisely! The rawness, the unfiltered glimpse into a symbolic world. Machine uses religious figures as the "holy men," locked in debate, and "shedim," who exist only in legend, to point out how legend impacts our "real world" - perhaps by reminding the viewer that they also, are legends themselves. Perhaps all legends? Editor: So the naivete, combined with those stark figures, serves to highlight this interplay between the mundane and the… mythic, or maybe the absurd? It’s definitely thought-provoking! Curator: Indeed. Perhaps our demons are less terrifying and more like quirky neighbours, eternally curious about our human endeavors, or maybe we're simply watching different stages? Always remember that with Joe, what looks absurd on first viewing could just be in preparation for its own sainthood... I love that Machine asks you to reflect in that way. It makes looking a rather enjoyable conversation! Editor: Definitely. It makes me want to question the reality around me and to find my own stage in this play. Thanks!