13. You’ll soon be Congratulating Yourself! 1972

Curator: Immediately, I get a sense of retro glamour, like stepping into a Technicolor film from the '50s. Editor: Indeed. This is Sir Eduardo Paolozzi’s "13. You'll soon be Congratulating Yourself!" from his series, "Illustrations of today vol.1 Wolfsburg". It’s an appropriation of commercial imagery. Curator: So, found images then? The bathroom setting seems so aspirational, that tile work! But there’s something…off. A bit too pristine? Editor: Paolozzi's collages often juxtaposed such idealized visions with the realities of post-war consumer culture, revealing underlying tensions. Curator: It’s like a little paper dream, with all that text up top. Makes me wonder what he was trying to say about our obsession with perfection. I love it. Editor: Paolozzi's work still resonates today, prompting us to question the narratives we consume and the images we aspire to. A perfect imperfection.