[no title] 1994

Curator: This photographic print by Thomas Schütte, currently held in the Tate Collections, depicts two rather imposing figures. Honestly, they look like they're plotting something nefarious. Editor: I'm struck by the materiality. Are those figures wearing terrycloth robes? The texture jumps out. It's oddly domestic, juxtaposed with those... grotesque faces. Curator: Grotesque is one word for it! I see a meditation on the masks we wear, the personas we project. Schütte often explored the darker sides of human nature. Editor: I wonder about the making of these masks. What materials? How were they formed? Were they mass-produced or individually crafted, questioning the commodification of identity itself? Curator: Perhaps the ambiguity is the point. Are we looking at rulers, villains, or just ordinary folks hiding behind a façade? It's unnerving, isn't it? Editor: It is. The labor involved in the textile production, contrasted with the unsettling visages, certainly provides a lot to consider. Curator: Indeed. A fascinating glimpse into the theatre of the self. Editor: And the socio-economic structures that inform our perceptions. Thank you.