Untitled 1988

Curator: Manoucher Yektai’s "Untitled" from 1988 confronts us, a work rendered in thick impasto with oil paint on, I believe, an acrylic on canvas base. What strikes you first about it? Editor: Immediately, I see this dreamlike quality. The colors are muted, and the heavy texture creates an almost otherworldly atmosphere, something nostalgic. Does that texture relate to the period, would you say? Curator: It certainly speaks to the post-impressionistic roots evident in his modernist style; that materiality is part of his vocabulary. Look at how the application isn’t just representational but also functional—it *is* the form itself. The gesture of each stroke matters, pointing directly back to Yektai’s labor and process, an active participant in shaping the art and our experience of it. Editor: And, reading the scene represented, I find myself dwelling on the symbols and their psychological resonance. The still life against a bright exterior evokes a sense of interiority meeting the vast world, this liminal space that is both comforting and full of longing. Is there any information on whether still lifes like this had personal meaning to the artist? Curator: Not that I’m aware of, although it’s tempting to imagine that there is a biographical dimension. I’m always cautious of seeing a work only as autobiographical. Rather, consider the context of the '80s, a decade defined by rapid shifts in the art world, changes in economic models for the production of artwork, a movement away from minimalism—how is the art implicated? This piece suggests that there’s always some cultural background impacting these materials. Editor: Agreed, and the cultural memory embedded within such imagery goes beyond just his personal sphere, no doubt! I wonder how viewers at the time engaged with its echoes of domesticity against a changing external landscape... Curator: I think we have here an exploration into what images come from and what impact the means of their production leaves. We can look at what they become too, as they’re placed within the context of our lives and histories. Editor: Absolutely, what a revealing dive!