Copyright: Genevieve Asse,Fair Use
Editor: Here we have Genevieve Asse’s "La pointe de l'oeil" from 2002, an ink print that looks like a minimalist drawing of simple geometric shapes. The vertical lines give it a sense of upward movement, but also a stark, almost industrial feel. What's your perspective on it? Curator: From a materialist perspective, I find the use of ink particularly compelling. Consider the manufacturing of the ink itself, the processes of its creation and distribution, linking artistic expression to broader economic structures. What does the choice of printmaking as a medium signify in this context? It’s reproducible, almost mass-produced; isn’t it? Editor: Right, because printmaking inherently allows for multiples. It makes me wonder about the labor involved in creating each print. Was Asse printing these herself, or was it a collaborative process with a printer? Curator: Exactly. That collaboration and division of labor within the studio challenges the romantic ideal of the solitary artist. Looking closely, how does the quality of the lines—thin, stark— speak to the mechanization or potential automation of art production? Do they signal a distancing of the artist's hand? Editor: I hadn’t thought about it like that. The lines feel so precise, but the printing process always leaves room for some variation and almost speaks of hand made. Curator: It’s in that tension between precision and the inevitable variations of the printmaking process where the work becomes truly fascinating. It challenges our assumptions about art's relationship to labor and technological advancement, don’t you think? Editor: It does make me think about the art world differently, and how works like this reflect larger economic trends, while embracing tradition at the same time. Thanks, it gives the work a different reading to me!
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