My Eye is a Mouth 1966 - 1969

Curator: Dieter Roth’s striking print, "My Eye is a Mouth," is a powerful statement in crimson. Editor: It's visceral, almost violently so. All that red, the contorted lines... it feels like a scream trapped in a web. Curator: Roth was always pushing boundaries, engaging with societal norms. Here, we see a layered critique perhaps on communication and perception, made even more poignant through the use of a single, bold color. Editor: Red, of course, has always been a color of passion, danger, even sacrifice. The faces, rendered in this intense hue, seem to bleed into one another, connected by these strange, topographical lines. It's as if Roth is mapping the interior landscape of the mind. Curator: Precisely, and consider the title. Is he suggesting that what we see is inherently subjective, colored by our own internal narratives? That what we express becomes a distortion of reality? Editor: The mouth-eye, or the eye-mouth. It's an ancient symbol, really, found in many cultures. The all-seeing, all-speaking. It suggests a kind of divine judgment. I keep coming back to its haunting visual impact. Curator: It’s a challenging piece, no doubt. But Roth asks us to confront uncomfortable truths. Editor: Absolutely. A powerful reflection on the complex act of seeing and communicating.