In Costume 

Curator: Marietta's piece titled "In Costume," well, it feels like stepping into a dream. There's a dreamy quality to it, definitely—soft colors, stylized flowers, that sort of thing. Editor: My initial reaction is the way this piece stages identity as inherently performative. What stories do you think "In Costume" is trying to tell us, through a visual lexicon that remixes classical eroticism and new-age symbolism? Curator: Absolutely, and you nailed it with "performative." It is as though this figure has assembled elements for a particular role. Look at the floral crown, the geometric embellishments, and what seems like an opulent yet casual robe… all very thought-out. Do you think the "erotic art" label necessarily pushes us toward certain conclusions here? Editor: Labels always come loaded, don't they? But "erotic" can be powerful when deployed subversively. Here, it allows Marietta to claim and celebrate the body outside patriarchal frameworks. Her sensuality isn't passive; she owns that gaze and uses it. I wonder too, if we aren't supposed to understand this as a critique on consumerism, the performance of self through bought clothes. Curator: I get that. And while this "costume" perhaps obscures aspects of the person, paradoxically, there is some kind of deep, truthful display taking place. I am thinking about archetypes here—the Magician or the Lover cards in the tarot, with symbols purposefully selected for meaning, to create transformation. Editor: Exactly, artifice reveals something more profound! Let’s also remember the context—a long art historical tradition that hyper-sexualizes female bodies. Curator: It’s so present; it creates such resonance! Thank you for shedding light on these rich, layered meanings in the work. Editor: And thank you for highlighting how the performative gesture of the figure helps reclaim a subversive power in “In Costume.” It’s always a delight.