Untitled 1983

Editor: Here we have Manoucher Yektai’s "Untitled" from 1983. It’s a small mixed-media painting, heavily impastoed, that almost feels sculptural. The texture really grabs my attention. How do you read a work like this? Curator: It's interesting to consider Yektai within the context of his time. A piece like this, created in 1983, is emerging during a period where there’s increasing institutional support for abstract expressionism, yet simultaneously a growing critique of its perceived elitism. The "matter-painting" aspect, with the thickly applied oil paint, can be seen as a physical assertion of the artist’s presence, their labor. Do you find it politically charged at all? Editor: Politically charged? I hadn't really thought about it that way, I was mainly focusing on the visual landscape aspects of it, or the influence of expressionism. Curator: Right. Think about the art world then, the market’s growing influence, the museum's role in validating certain art forms. Could this aggressive use of materials be a quiet rebellion against those forces, a claiming of artistic freedom outside the expected norms of, say, a polished gallery-ready piece? Editor: That's a great point, especially when you think about how galleries are influencing which type of works become popular and available, almost acting as a filter. I was just seeing this as an abstract landscape. Curator: The "landscape" element pulls us in, offering familiarity, while the abstraction pushes back, challenging easy interpretation. Does the scale – its relative smallness – play a role? Is it a deliberate intimacy, or something else? Editor: I guess its small size makes it more intimate, almost private in some way. I'm starting to appreciate how much the art world can impact a piece. Thank you. Curator: Indeed. And by considering these contextual layers, our understanding deepens and shapes our personal interpretation.