Matching Colours Struck by Heatwave 1976 - 1977

Curator: Welcome. We're standing before Esq Tom Phillips' artwork, "Matching Colours Struck by Heatwave," held at the Tate Collections. Editor: It's immediately striking—the grid of muted purples surrounding those pale, almost bleached rectangles. An odd, constrained palette. Curator: Phillips often embeds cultural references. Here, the repeated rectangles could symbolize windows, each offering a slightly different view or perspective altered by an unseen force. Editor: I'm more drawn to the materiality. The rough edges of the paper, the varying textures—they create a tangible sense of something disintegrating. The heatwave is quite palpable. Curator: Indeed, that sense of fading or transformation is key. Purple has historically represented royalty, spirituality, and change. The heatwave can then be seen as a force eroding established orders. Editor: So, it becomes a visual metaphor for environmental or social instability, rendered through colour and form. An interesting take on the concept. Curator: It invites us to reflect on the transient nature of things. Editor: Absolutely, a clever use of simple elements to convey complex ideas.