Bat Opera 33 2008

Curator: Spartacus Chetwynd, born in 1973, created "Bat Opera 33." Look closely at its composition—it's dreamlike. Editor: There's something almost unsettling about the fuzzy forms and muted palette. What can you tell me about its making? Curator: Well, Chetwynd often explores theatrical and performative elements in her work, so this print, and its title, may point to connections between artistic production and spectacle. Editor: The dark, almost foreboding colors and the title give it a distinct mood. Does "opera" suggest societal critique through performance? Curator: Possibly. Her work often critiques hierarchies and questions traditional art boundaries. It's about the act, the process, not just the polished product. Editor: So, viewing art as a societal construct. That’s the opera, perhaps? Curator: Precisely! It highlights the labor and the mechanisms behind artistic creation. Editor: I leave with a sense of the artist as a maker, and art as a construct. Curator: Right. It invites us to consider the larger performance of art itself.