Construct IV-A 1980

Editor: Here we have Barbara Kasten's "Construct IV-A" from 1980, a mixed-media photograph incorporating metal and mirrors. What strikes me is how she’s captured these industrial materials with a really delicate, almost ethereal light. How do you read this piece? Curator: I see a visual dialogue between solidity and ethereality, deeply rooted in our human experience of constructing meaning. The geometric forms evoke a sense of order, like blueprints of our constructed reality. But the ephemeral shadows complicate this, don’t they? What feelings do those shadows stir? Editor: A sense of ambiguity, maybe? They’re so crisp, yet they hint at something beyond the physical objects themselves. Curator: Exactly! Kasten is playing with the symbolism of light and shadow, a recurring motif throughout art history representing knowledge and the unknown. She’s prompting us to consider how our perceptions are shaped by what we see and what remains hidden. Editor: So, it's not just about the objects, but also what they project, literally and figuratively. Do the sharp lines mean anything special in the context of modernism? Curator: Yes. Sharp lines, a common sight of Modernism. Think about urban spaces or machines. Editor: Right. It is thought-provoking how Kasten layers these cultural memories to ask fundamental questions about seeing. Curator: Agreed, and understanding this work truly allows one to delve deep into the symbolic construction of our modern world.