Untitled 2014

Editor: Here we have an Untitled mixed media piece by Rodrigo Franzao, created in 2014. It's a riot of colour and shape, like a fragmented, abstract garment. I am especially drawn to its tactile, almost raw quality. What is your take on it? Curator: The piece intrigues me because it so clearly embraces the labour of making. Franzao's manipulation of textiles – the cutting, layering, and seemingly hand-sewn construction – draws attention to the artist's process and materials. Consider the 'Pattern and Decoration' movement, and its push back against minimalist abstraction through embracing 'craft' techniques. How does this relate, in your mind? Editor: Well, it definitely departs from Minimalism's sleek surfaces. This feels much more human, perhaps even vulnerable, with its visible stitching and irregular edges. Do you see it commenting on the world of fashion and textile design with the labor it shows off? Curator: Precisely! The “garment” form implies a connection to the fashion industry and the broader culture of textile consumption. By creating this intricate object with readily available, low-cost materials, Franzao might be making a statement about the value we place on handmade objects versus mass-produced items. The imperfections themselves speak volumes. Does this shift your view on what Franzao aimed to do? Editor: I see what you mean. Highlighting the labor involved encourages us to consider where things come from and who makes them. Curator: Absolutely. Perhaps, now we may recognize how readily available this medium of patterned fabric collage is in our immediate world of excess, but at the cost of overlooking its craft and production of consumption. It is the art, the medium, the labor, that can now provide insight into a consumer's demand. Editor: I never really thought about that, but your materialist perspective makes me see a whole other level of complexity in this work.