Adam and Eve Expelled from the Garden of Eden (Genesis Golden Age) 2017

Editor: Joe Machine’s “Adam and Eve Expelled from the Garden of Eden (Genesis Golden Age),” created in 2017, is quite striking. The materials are not immediately obvious, but it seems to be some form of painting. What particularly grabs me is the almost folk-art style combined with the biblical narrative. What jumps out at you? Curator: I’m drawn to the materiality itself – the rough, almost sculptural quality of the paint application, particularly in the figures' drapery and the surrounding flora. Look at the repeated patterns, the deliberate texture created through the act of painting itself. It challenges the very idea of "high art." Editor: So, you’re seeing a commentary on the process of creation itself? Curator: Precisely. Consider how the materials themselves convey the narrative. The figures, though representing Adam and Eve, are rendered in a style more akin to naive or folk art. There’s a lack of classical refinement, almost a coarseness, that undercuts the idealized versions we often see of this scene. What do you think that signals about this expulsion narrative? Editor: It feels more… relatable? Like a common, rather than divinely ordained, failing? The angel, on the other hand, is painted much more elaborately... Curator: Indeed, this discrepancy raises questions about power dynamics. Who gets to define "art"? Who is granted access to refined techniques and materials, and who is relegated to the "folk" realm? This ties into the historical context, as religious narratives have long been exploited as propaganda, dictating who belongs and who does not. Machine's material choices seem like a critique of such power structures. Editor: So it's about the act of making, as well as the message? Curator: Exactly. By foregrounding the materials and the process of creation, Machine prompts us to examine not just *what* the artwork depicts but *how* it was made and *who* gets to make art like this. Editor: That’s really given me a lot to think about regarding the production of meaning. Curator: Absolutely. Looking closely at material choices really opens up a richer understanding.