lust 

Editor: So, this is a mixed media collage and drawing by Milos Pavlovic, simply titled "Lust." It’s…intense. The fragmented face and contrasting expressions create a very unsettling feeling, and that dripping, almost viscous substance from the mouth just adds to it. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Indeed, unsettling is a good word for it. The collage element, especially the disparate eyes and the mouth, remind us that identity, especially desire, isn’t monolithic but fractured, constructed from different perspectives and experiences. The swastika, though small, immediately throws up powerful connotations – are we seeing an exploration of taboo desire? A warning? How do you interpret its presence here? Editor: I’m not sure, it's disturbing and seems at odds with the... vulnerability evident in some of the other features, particularly that weeping eye. Could it be about the corruption of desire? Curator: Precisely. Lust isn't solely about pleasure; it can be tied to power, control, and even destruction. Consider the color red throughout, particularly as blood and the binding around the throat, evoking pain and sacrifice, passion intertwined with suffering. Does the incorporation of Japanese script provide more clues, or just add to the complexity of symbolic languages present? Editor: That’s a good question! The script is another layer of symbolism I didn’t consider – the handwritten quality suggests a personal narrative too. I need to look into those phrases translated, for even further meaning. Curator: The act of combining these symbolic elements invites us to decode, layer by layer, but also to confront the uncomfortable truth that some desires can be toxic and oppressive, manifesting differently in each fractured self. It is not always carnal or bodily, it is historical and cultural too. Editor: This has completely shifted my perception. I initially saw "Lust" as a visceral expression, but it's so much more than that, reflecting power, history and personal struggle all intertwined. Thank you for offering this richer framework. Curator: My pleasure, unlocking such layers through combined art forms is one key path to understand human consciousness.