Red Stringer White Bass 2002

Curator: First impression: a kind of unsettling abundance, like a fisherman's dream...or nightmare. Editor: Yes, unsettling is right. We're looking at Larry Stark's "Red Stringer White Bass," held here at the Harvard Art Museums. It's roughly 33 by 22 centimeters. Curator: What gets me is how the fish eyes lock onto you, like a chorus line of stares. It feels ancient, almost totemic. Editor: Fish have always been potent symbols. Think of early Christian imagery, or the zodiac sign Pisces. It speaks to fertility, transformation, the depths of the unconscious. Curator: And those red strings...like a visual lifeline, connecting them, and maybe us, to something primal. Editor: Indeed, the string could symbolize a cyclical connection to life and death, a recurring motif across cultures. Curator: It's stark, yet tender in its own way. Like a meditation on the fleeting nature of beauty and the interconnectedness of all things. Editor: It certainly offers a look into a world beneath the surface, both literally and symbolically. Food for thought, indeed!