Molecules 2016

Curator: Here we have "Molecules," a mixed-media artwork by Alfred Freddy Krupa, created in 2016. What are your initial impressions? Editor: It feels chaotic, almost violently cheerful! The colours are playful, but the composition is... restless. It's like looking at an exploded diagram of some kind of oddball machine. Curator: Krupa’s work often grapples with the legacies of expressionism and geometric abstraction. The vigorous application of acrylic paint and what looks like matter-painting certainly nods to those movements. Editor: Matter-painting! Yes, I see that. The texture gives it such an unruly energy. And 'Molecules' as a title... does that tame it at all? Or is it just adding another layer of bewilderment? Curator: Perhaps both. The title alludes to scientific structures while the abstract style rejects literal representation. It’s this tension that’s key. Abstraction became prominent after WWII, in part as a rejection of overtly propagandistic art. How can art address the most complex scientific ideas of our time and not be reduced to propaganda? Editor: Right. And with this particular artwork it becomes like peering into a petri dish gone wild. The juxtaposition of rough textures with those hard geometric elements reminds me that everything, even science, is rooted in something human and messy. Curator: That interplay of control and chaos, perhaps reflective of societal attitudes towards science and technology during the 21st century, and especially the possibilities for good, but the potential for great harm. Editor: Absolutely. Seeing those playful colours smeared onto a rough surface kind of shakes loose any illusions about scientific objectivity. You know? Makes me question all our neatly drawn diagrams and equations. It is almost like the feeling after someone has said too much and left too quickly. Curator: The expressionistic gestures give that away. This has been a rather atomic journey! Any final reflections? Editor: I walked in and the first thing I saw was this unholy mess, and I can appreciate its reflection in how we cope, not necessarily come together. Curator: The piece indeed holds multitudes and offers a reflection of human nature under a magnifying glass.