413/540 1980

Editor: We're looking at Ian Stephenson's "413/540." It's this explosion of colour, a spray of paint around what looks like a square, and it feels incredibly energetic. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a challenge to the established art world, a push against the rigid structures of formalism. Consider the time: post-war Britain, grappling with identity. Isn't Stephenson using these splatters to deconstruct artistic conventions, much like society was deconstructing its own norms? It's almost a visual representation of freedom after constraint. Editor: So, the seeming chaos is actually a deliberate act of rebellion? Curator: Precisely. It invites us to question, what is control? What is expression? The lack of clear boundaries mirrors the blurring lines of social identity at the time. Editor: I hadn't thought of it that way. It definitely makes me see it with new eyes. Curator: And hopefully inspires us to challenge existing structures in our own lives, too.