The emigrants 

Editor: Here we have Remedios Varo's painting "The Emigrants," done in oil paint. It feels both whimsical and melancholic, like a travelling dollhouse. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: Well, I see a meticulous study of materiality. Consider the almost granular texture of the "house," juxtaposed with the delicate rendering of the figures. The artist is really concerned with craft. How do those textural differences influence the perception of this space as habitable or alien? Editor: That's interesting. The textures do make it seem more like a geological formation than a cozy home. How does this choice of material impact the subject? Curator: Precisely! The subject here – emigration – is often idealized. But Varo, through her material choices, reminds us of the labor and the often-brutal reality inherent in displacement. Note the deliberate inclusion of the wheels, referencing the material requirements of constant movement. What does it say about how these “emigrants” traverse or endure social terrains? Editor: It suggests a sense of impermanence, or perhaps resourcefulness, a constant need to adapt and rebuild with limited means. How would this affect the distinction of ‘high art’? Curator: By centering the labor and material conditions of her subjects, Varo dismantles the traditional hierarchy of fine art over craft. She asks us to value not just the idea, but the making, and what the materials themselves represent about lived experience. It's no longer enough to simply contemplate, but instead it's necessary to actively examine and understand material culture. Editor: I've never thought about the materiality having so much to say, this gives me a lot to consider in approaching the rest of this exhibition. Curator: Exactly! And this examination of material concerns pushes the conversation far beyond personal narrative. It asks about the whole structure, the processes.