Area/Aria 1969

Curator: Peter Daglish's screenprint, "Area/Aria," part of the Tate collection, immediately assaults you with its brazen orange and red palette, doesn't it? Editor: It certainly does evoke heat, doesn’t it? The interplay of flat planes and the suggestion of woven texture create a curious tension. Curator: I find the juxtaposition of the somewhat recognizable—a toy car, perhaps a stylized figure—against the abstract grid strangely comforting. It's as if childhood memories are being filtered through a very adult lens. Editor: The simplified forms, almost cartoonish, disrupt the potential severity of the formal composition. The flatness and bold colour choices also give it a distinctly Pop Art feel. Curator: For me, the title is key. It suggests not just space but also a song, an emotional outpouring. Do you think that’s reading too much into it? Editor: Not at all. The 'aria' could well be the vibrant intensity of color, singing out from the artwork. It makes you wonder what Daglish was feeling. Curator: Absolutely. It leaves us, perhaps, not with answers, but with a vibrant question mark. Editor: Indeed, a bold invitation to feel and reflect.