Voodoo 1984

Editor: So this is “Voodoo” by Gene Davis, created in 1984 using acrylic paint. What immediately strikes me is how the vertical lines, and their varying shades of mostly blues and greys, create a somewhat somber or meditative mood. It's so systematic... almost like a code. What do you make of it? Curator: It's interesting you see code, because I think Davis is tapping into something primal with this repetitive verticality. Cultures across the world have used vertical stripes to represent everything from rain to power – think of the robes of chieftains, or even simple rain sticks designed to alter minds. Do you feel any sense of rhythm or pattern interrupting this stillness? Editor: I do now that you mention it! There's an irregularity to the widths, subtle shifts in the blues, which creates a slight visual vibration, perhaps undermining the stillness I first perceived. What's the symbolic significance of using predominantly cooler tones here? Curator: Precisely! The limited palette, heavy on cool tones like blues and grays, combined with that singular almost-mauve line at its center – that is evocative. Blue can be connected to mourning rituals in Western traditions but simultaneously associated with divinity, while grey represents neutrality. Together, this choice reflects perhaps the ambiguity of cultural memory. How something shifts as we come to internalize symbols and images from the past. The past haunts us, even within abstractions like these! Editor: It is funny how such an abstract, rigid work like this could be evocative and almost emotional... I was ready to dismiss it as simple geometry! Thank you so much for sharing your expertise with me today! Curator: Of course. Seeing these repeating forms, how culture seeps into color…It makes me reflect on all the cultural baggage a simple stripe can carry! A worthwhile consideration.