Injunction Against Interiority c. 1985

Curator: Looking at Mark Kostabi’s ink drawing, "Injunction Against Interiority" from around 1985... It is striking. Editor: It's definitely odd. The figures are so simply rendered and the lack of heads creates such a detached feeling. What do you see in this piece that draws you in? Curator: Well, I think the interesting element here is Kostabi’s engagement with mass production, particularly in how his assistants were involved in creating this body of work. The division of labor becomes a central part of the artistic concept, challenging the idea of the artist as the sole creator. Does that reading change your view of the headless figures? Editor: It does! So the mass production makes the faceless figures an intentional way of rejecting artistic uniqueness... Like, saying something about the modern world. Curator: Exactly. Think about it: these generic figures reflect the alienating nature of consumer culture, where individual expression is subsumed by mass-produced images and identities. The “injunction against interiority” perhaps speaks to a prohibition against deep feeling in favor of surface-level interactions, mediated through objects and systems. Does this consideration change how you approach similar work? Editor: Absolutely. Considering the production, the labor and the materials definitely pulls focus on the cultural implications of what is depicted! I feel like I’m seeing so many new ideas in his work by thinking about process. Curator: I agree. The emphasis on how this art was *made* highlights its social critique in an essential way.