De-Formation #5 2016

Curator: Here we have "De-Formation #5," a 2016 acrylic painting by Rodrigo Franzao. Editor: My first thought? Contained chaos. The colors are muted and a bit somber, but then you have this copper wire buzzing around like it's trying to escape. Curator: Interesting take. It’s considered part of the contemporary art scene, fitting neatly into a historical trajectory of artists questioning the formal constraints of the medium. Do you think that's palpable to the common gallery patron, this questioning you picked up on? Editor: Maybe not consciously. But the abstraction pulls you in, asking for your own interpretation instead of laying it all out. That mustard yellow is really singing out against the gray too. Feels a little bit like sunshine through smog. Curator: I agree it definitely provokes dialogue with its stark lines juxtaposed against more malleable form; how society often constrains abstract art in its display while failing to account for how art is fundamentally fluid. Editor: Exactly! You nailed it. Like this bronze wire refusing to be caged. It’s all wabi-sabi in feeling. This is clearly a mind working to find order, while giving up halfway. Beautiful tension. I bet this plays well at modern museums that want something a little unsafe. Curator: I suspect the choice of acrylic on the part of Franzao might imply the work intends to have staying power, it aims to exist at these institutions and to contribute for the long haul. I think the intention shines through. Editor: Maybe I was wrong to call it contained chaos earlier; it has something quite balanced and confident. What are your thoughts? Curator: Agreed, seeing a path to resilience through abstract expression—always fascinating! Editor: I am glad we could end with that kind of insight.