Untitled 

Curator: Here we have an "Untitled" mixed-media painting by Sun Mu, rendered in acrylic paint with a distinct Pop Art flavor. It certainly makes a statement about contemporary figuration, wouldn’t you agree? Editor: Oh, absolutely. First blush? Slightly unsettling, but with an undercurrent of sweetness. That saccharine pink backdrop… and the almost manic glee on that little girl’s face next to, whoa, is that Mickey Mouse? Curator: Yes, indeed! The juxtaposition is quite pointed. We have these cartoon-based characters, both icons in their own right, set against a deliberately flat colour background, reminding us perhaps of vector illustrations. Editor: It's like a mashup of childhood dreams and…nightmares. Mickey's classic thumbs-up is throwing me off, though, like, is he in on the joke or just a prop? Curator: That ambiguity is central to Sun Mu's work, I think. Looking at his background, he has experienced the challenges of divided nations firsthand, which brings into play an interesting dialogue around innocence, indoctrination, and the construction of national identities through popular culture. Editor: Indoctrination via Disney…heavy. But, there's something joyful about the flatness too, almost naive in the rendering. Like a cartoon attempting to be happy and cute. Those oversized flowers the girl holds seem like an awkward counterpoint. Curator: Precisely. By utilizing this almost aggressively joyful element, the artist cleverly invites us to question those very themes and our consumption of cartoon culture through painting. Is it really happy or ironically unsettling, because the smile feels forced. Editor: Hmmm, that’s a crucial distinction, and a valid criticism too! It's this cartoon style joy layered with a political undertone. I didn’t know about the artist’s past before now, it is hard not to see an underlying political subtext to the canvas now! It casts the piece in a different light, almost like he's taking those happy elements and asking us, the viewer, what is so happy about them now. Curator: Exactly. This "Untitled" painting is an intersectional piece that explores politics and cultural identity with deceiving playfulness. Editor: So much to consider in such a seemingly simple image. Well, Sun Mu, you got me thinking. Big time!