GIRL WITH WATERMELON 2016

Curator: We're looking at "GIRL WITH WATERMELON" created in 2016 by Babak-Matveev. The vibrant colors jump out, don't they? Editor: Absolutely! My initial reaction is that this is quite surreal. The intense saturation and juxtapositions feel intentionally jarring, like a collage. What's the medium here? Curator: It's a photograph, interestingly. It is clearly staged. Consider how the flatness in certain planes is intensified by its contrast with relatively deep space, achieved by what appears to be an array of layered scenic backdrops. Editor: The floral patterns! The woman's embroidered blouse, her vibrant skirt, and the floral fabric beneath the chair contrast vividly with the verdant scene. This brings to mind craft traditions embedded in rural life. I am also seeing the significance of the chosen clothing and the setting. Are we viewing a type of staged folk tableau here, constructed through modern technologies like digital photo editing, though also possibly physically staged using sets and backdrops? It seems as though she may be a regional or local crafts worker based on dress alone. Curator: Indeed. The artist juxtaposes the natural and the artificial quite dramatically. Think about how the central figure is posed frontally. While she embodies what is apparently presented to us as local, rustic heritage through her dress, the background contains artificial looking digitally modified elements such as that impossible, candy-colored sky and floating, airbrushed swans on the left. The interplay suggests an observation of, perhaps even a playful subversion of, traditional portraiture and landscape conventions. Editor: And the watermelon. A very traditionally rendered and materially humble fruit, set precariously on that wooden chair. There's a tension between the romantic backdrop and the everyday object of sustenance, calling attention to ideas about sustenance and possibly even commodification of labor. The artist invites viewers to contemplate our understanding of regional craftsmanship within our modern global economic reality. What’s your read of this combination of artifice and realism? Curator: To me, the watermelon is more than an object. As the photograph's titular reference, its placement draws a sharp focus onto its visual significance, prompting me to question what the "girl" is that it references. We're invited to unpack both symbolism and formalism with great care. This challenges us, as the eye is both pleased by an appealing portrait and then visually shocked by clashing combinations! Editor: Yes. I find myself lingering over these staged, but striking, clashes, the materials represented, the clothing, all staged in tandem... a portrait rendered and framed by commodity. Thank you for illuminating its powerful layers. Curator: And thank you for prompting those fruitful associations! A rich conversation, indeed.