The Rule of the Circle, The Rule of the Game 1985

Curator: Here we have Geta Brătescu’s, “The Rule of the Circle, The Rule of the Game," created in 1985 using mixed media. It's a very playful composition, I think. What are your first thoughts? Editor: I am immediately struck by its incompleteness, its brokenness really. The circle is there, but in fragmented forms and juxtaposed colors, over a detached grid. I wonder about the tensions at play. Curator: Well, I think she's exploring the tension between order and chaos, control and spontaneity. Look at the grid—it's this rational, structured framework. And then you have the circle, also a form of order but disrupted by these colorful, almost whimsical segments. The "game" part of the title comes to mind... rules that are meant to be broken, perhaps? Editor: Exactly. That deconstruction resonates deeply within a historical context. Brătescu created this during a time of political and social constraint in Romania. The act of breaking the circle could represent a subversive gesture, challenging the rigid structures of power. Curator: Absolutely, it's like she's taking this perfect, symbolic form and infusing it with a sense of liberation through dismantling it. It makes you consider, what constitutes freedom within constraints? Is there beauty in the imperfect circle? Editor: The circle, a symbol often associated with wholeness and unity, is here renegotiated as something fragmented, revealing absence and questioning the ideal of completion and what it could imply in an oppressive context. What are the possibilities of rupture? Curator: It almost reminds me of life. You strive for balance, for a perfect circle, but inevitably there are cracks, breaks, and interruptions that make it more interesting. Editor: I see Bratescu's use of accessible shapes as a nod to the everyday; the simple abstraction creates openings, offering anyone access to political and conceptual terrains. Curator: This reminds us to challenge norms, break free, even within seemingly simple boundaries. I like to see the artwork as an exploration into breaking apart what is given and reorganizing in order to create personal meaning. Editor: Yes, and for me, the grid emphasizes a system being exposed while in breakdown. Perhaps offering the promise for constructing another one on our own terms.