Conceptual Tree 1970

Editor: Right next up we have "Conceptual Tree," created in 1970 by Abdul Mati Klarwein, made with mixed media including acrylic paint. It strikes me immediately as this very deliberate, almost psychedelic geometric design. What stands out to you? Curator: What interests me is how Klarwein challenges traditional notions of painting. He uses materials – acrylic and mixed media – in a way that disrupts the clean, flat surfaces often associated with painting from that era. He also plays with the perceived distinction between abstraction and representation, between geometric form and figuration. Consider also the societal backdrop of 1970. How do you think Klarwein's materials relate to the aesthetics of the counterculture movement? Editor: That’s a great point, I see the echoes of the time! It’s clearly not just paint on canvas, but rather a constructed object using many things...so the meaning exists in how it was constructed? Curator: Precisely. He questions not only the finished product but the very act of making. It invites questions of artistic labour - is it about personal expression or collective production? Does the gold background imitate, elevate or critique religious painting? How does this affect our understanding of its value, both aesthetically and monetarily? Editor: It makes me think about mass production too, about how these very different shapes and forms when placed together create an illusion that hints to an ideal. Curator: And this illusion depends on the specific properties of the paint and materials that constitute the overall aesthetic effect. Klarwein compels us to consider what constitutes ‘art’ in a society increasingly driven by consumerism and spectacle. Editor: I never considered it in that way. Seeing art in relation to culture, to social construction… it opens up so many questions! Thanks so much! Curator: Indeed! This work invites you to rethink everything from material value, the role of the artist, and how these elements reflect cultural moments.