METAMORPHOSIS I 1996

Editor: Here we have Rashid Al Khalifa’s “Metamorphosis I,” created in 1996 using acrylic paint. I’m really drawn to the texture and the vibrant colors; it almost feels like a still life, but abstracted. What stands out to you about this piece? Curator: The impasto technique, the thick application of the acrylic paint, immediately grabs my attention. It speaks to a very physical engagement with the materials. The artist isn’t just depicting an image, they’re constructing a material object. Look closely – where do you see evidence of this construction, this *making*? Editor: I see it in the raised paint, especially around the “flowers” and the rim of the vase. You can really see the brushstrokes and the layering of colors. Curator: Exactly. And think about acrylics as a material. Developed in the mid-20th century, it provided artists with a new, versatile medium. Al Khalifa embraces this modernity, choosing this over, say, oil paint, reflecting a specific moment in art history and its relationship to industrial production. How do you think the social context of the ‘90s influences the overall design? Editor: Given that pop art is a style I see listed in the details, it’s a reflection on mass culture maybe, taking familiar imagery like a vase of flowers, and turning it into something bold and almost manufactured-looking? Curator: Precisely! By amplifying the texture and manipulating color, the artwork challenges traditional notions of still life painting, moving away from mere representation toward a more constructed, almost manufactured aesthetic. What does it mean for a traditionally handcrafted genre to meet industrial processes in artmaking? Editor: I hadn’t thought about that interplay. It makes you consider the labor and the choices that go into creating the art object itself. Thanks for that. Curator: Indeed. And hopefully, by analyzing its materiality, it helps you to question what you consume when you consider art, and how it gains its value as more than simply an object.