Underline 2001

Curator: At the Harvard Art Museums, we have Allyson Strafella’s “Underline,” a piece measuring about 17 by 12 centimeters. Editor: My first impression is the density. It feels like a visual representation of static, or perhaps an overexposed film negative, emphasizing texture over form. Curator: It evokes the incessant nature of repeated action, reflecting a certain cultural anxiety around mark-making and inscription. Is this erasure or emphasis? Editor: The materiality is crucial. The stark contrast of the marks, the way the lines subtly deviate, creates an almost palpable rhythm. It's a field for the eye to wander. Curator: The title "Underline" suggests emphasizing something, but what is being highlighted? Is it the process, the materiality, or perhaps a hidden, obscured meaning? It reminds me of palimpsests. Editor: Perhaps all of the above. It is the idea of underlining itself. The piece seems to question the very act of highlighting as a form of construction and deconstruction. Curator: I see, the meaning emerging through the accumulation and repetition, not through a single, declarative statement. A quiet assertion. Editor: Precisely. The beauty, for me, lies in the ambiguity and the invitation to observe the act of creation itself.