Double Shrub I 1973

Curator: What strikes me immediately about Ivor Abrahams' "Double Shrub I" is its almost unsettling stillness. The twin shrubs feel imposing, static. Editor: It does evoke a certain placidity, but for me, it's more about the societal obsession with manicured landscapes, the artificiality imposed on nature. Curator: Abrahams was fascinated by the suburban garden, wasn't he? A stage for social performance, the lawn meticulously kept, the shrubs perfectly formed. Editor: Exactly. These aren't just shrubs; they're symbols of control, status, and the pressure to conform. The very greenness feels…synthetic. Curator: There's a tension, though, between the artificiality and the very tactile quality of the print. The texture of the foliage is so present. Editor: That tension is key. It mirrors our own conflicted relationship with nature—admiring it while simultaneously trying to dominate it. Curator: I hadn't considered that, but it makes me think about how gardens reflect our own desires for order. Editor: And whose order gets imposed, and at what cost? That’s what this image brings up for me.