Ishtar 2014

Curator: Looking at Roberto Ferri's “Ishtar” from 2014, rendered in oil paint, the first word that pops into my mind is 'weighty.' It’s heavy in a visual and conceptual sense, wouldn't you agree? Editor: Absolutely. My initial thought went to the stark contrast: the smooth skin and soft folds of the fabric versus the harsh reality embodied in the skull she cradles. What is the material make up here? Are we looking at classical layering techniques or are the bodies almost digitally rendered for that 'smooth' skin tone? Curator: Yes, it’s quite interesting to notice that disjunction of tenderness and morbidity side by side. It’s got that intense academic realist style, very Mannerist revival. All the bodies—so artfully posed! It hints at historical painting—like we’re observing a grand, symbolic gesture about civilization. Editor: Exactly. And thinking of "civilization", how complicit is this painting, especially by means of it’s painterly rendering, to academic values and tastes? I am interested in who commissioned such a large scale painting today? Curator: Well, you're speaking about a good point—who wants an 'Ishtar' these days? Though Ferri likes to toy with themes around love, war, desire... Ishtar as a goddess encompasses these complexities and has some very obvious symbolic associations! It’s a dance, perhaps, between reverence and reinterpretation. Look at the cloud formation above—threatening, maybe?—and the figures underneath her feet... It evokes something ominous. It is hard to find an easy allegory or political take. Editor: Interesting how the artist seems to bring together these elements in painting, given how politically charged “allegory” has become within the artworld. The very labour required for rendering such life like figures—where does that commitment and consumption end up within this painting? What meaning emerges and whom does that work serve? Curator: What an intricate question, indeed. Art serves so many interpretations! Thank you for bringing to attention all this considerations and your commitment to reading all of that tension. Editor: Thanks to you! Considering an artist working through the materiality of allegories today offers, well, food for thought... It's important to think about that today!