Untitled 

Editor: Here we have an untitled piece by Graca Morais, rendered in what looks like watercolor. It’s moody, almost melancholic with its somber brown washes. What's your read on this piece? Curator: Well, considering Morais's context, one sees this work within a specific lineage of politically-engaged abstraction. This seemingly placid watercolor is actually participating in a dialogue. Who is painting, who has the permission or power to show what, and how that relates to broader conversations around social injustice or power imbalances. Editor: In what way is that imbalance being illustrated? It feels much more atmospheric and ethereal to me, based on initial impressions. Curator: What kind of landscapes are evoked here? It seems to reference specific geographic and social anxieties, places marked by historical conflict or social exclusion perhaps? If not geographical, what sort of psychic landscapes does this piece engage with? Editor: I see what you mean. The dark and light washes feel unstable. What if Morais is commenting on the fragility of identity and the shifting grounds upon which communities are built? Curator: Precisely. By using a traditionally "minor" medium like watercolor, Morais subverts expectations. Watercolor has historically been viewed as less serious. It asks us to question the power dynamics within the art world itself. It invites an interpretation of place as always contested, never neutral. Editor: It’s amazing how much historical weight a simple watercolor can carry when you look at it through that lens. Thank you! Curator: My pleasure! Considering the social lives of artworks can be a lot more enriching than a purely aesthetic appreciation, which risks being naive or historically illiterate.