Hors Concours 1974

Curator: This is Eduardo Paolozzi's "Hors Concours" from the Tate collection. It's intriguing, isn't it? Like an architect's fever dream. Editor: Yes, the muted palette and layered forms remind me of city planning, but with a playful, almost whimsical touch. What's the printmaking process here? Curator: It looks like a screenprint, probably quite labour-intensive to achieve such delicate layering. You know, the idea of something being "hors concours"—beyond competition—makes me think about the artist’s freedom to experiment. Editor: Exactly, this print feels like an exploration of industrial production, both celebrating and questioning its impact on our visual landscape. The geometric shapes become abstracted echoes of the built environment. Curator: I see it more as a personal, internal map, one that meanders through Paolozzi's own memories and imaginings, like a half-remembered place. Editor: Perhaps it’s both! That tension between the personal and the industrial is precisely what makes it so compelling. Curator: It certainly gives one pause. Editor: Indeed, it invites us to reflect on how much labor goes into image-making.