Straw Burning 1996

Editor: This is Paula Rego's print, Straw Burning, currently housed at the Tate. The array of creatures makes it feel like a strange, unsettling dream. What do you make of the materials and imagery here? Curator: The etching process itself is crucial. The labor-intensive and somewhat unpredictable nature mirrors the complex social anxieties Rego explores. Consider the copper plate, the acid, the physical act of biting into the metal... Editor: So, the *making* of the print reflects the themes? Curator: Precisely. The material handling becomes a metaphor. Are we not also shaped by processes, by the forces that act upon us? The straw itself could be seen as both agricultural byproduct, waste, and the source of craft material. Editor: That connection to labor and production gives me a whole new perspective. Thanks! Curator: Indeed. Thinking about how art is made expands our understanding of what it means.