Perch 2018

Curator: Looking at "Perch," an acrylic painting from 2018 by Carrie Graber, my first reaction is a sense of stillness, of almost cinematic light. There's a lone figure sitting near a modern house that evokes calm. Editor: It strikes me as a visual embodiment of a specifically modern dream, doesn't it? The sleek, mid-century architecture coupled with the distant promise of the city creates an almost utopian vision. A vision of aspiration. Curator: Absolutely, and those succulents and native plants along the edges of the image remind me that California has long figured as an imagined Eden, with particular iconography attached to it. Think of artists like David Hockney, or even Ed Ruscha. Graber is building on that established language. Editor: Right. And what do you think the role of the lone figure plays? They’re positioned almost centrally but remain relatively anonymous. How might we interpret this choice? It clearly is deliberate, this arrangement. Curator: To me, she represents a kind of present-day muse. She embodies both the allure of the landscape and the promise of modernist design—like a link between humanity, home, and nature. She reflects the viewer, maybe, or a feeling? Editor: That’s interesting. I wonder, then, about the societal implications of this specific ideal. Who exactly gets to "perch" in these elevated spaces overlooking cityscapes? Is it accessible, or exclusionary? Curator: Yes! Those sharp, modernist angles could speak to the exclusionary power of wealth, and architectural style as status. Perhaps the title itself, “Perch,” suggests this tension, this precarious position. Editor: So, it's less a serene vision of Eden and more an examination of privilege embedded in the California dream? Fascinating to see how Graber's painting operates on different levels. Curator: Exactly. What appears calming is actually rather complex. Editor: It gives one much to consider, beyond that immediate, almost dreamlike quality. Curator: Yes, Graber manages to invite us into a conversation with both beauty and cultural critique. A beautiful tension.