[no title] 1995

Editor: This striking print by Per Kirkeby, from the Tate collection, depicts a figure in motion. It feels quite primal and urgent. What symbols do you see at play here? Curator: The figure’s hurried form, rendered in stark black against the gridded background, suggests a flight from confinement, or perhaps a pursuit. Consider the cage-like structure. Does it evoke a sense of protection or imprisonment? Editor: Imprisonment, definitely. It looks desperate. Curator: And what of the seemingly random marks at the bottom? They resemble footprints, or perhaps more abstractly, the vestiges of a struggle, invoking a timeless narrative of human striving against limitations. It’s a powerful image. Editor: I see that now. It's a story etched in symbols of freedom and restraint. Curator: Indeed. Kirkeby uses imagery to tap into our shared, often subconscious understanding of these concepts.