Receptivity 

Curator: Looking at this artwork, "Receptivity" by Erik Thor Sandberg, I'm immediately struck by its overwhelming, almost surreal atmosphere. The central figure, surrounded by a multitude of birds, evokes a potent mixture of vulnerability and power. What’s your take? Editor: Well, the immediate image is of a surreal space: a nude woman calmly perched among this diverse aviary, somewhere between landscape and genre-painting, as the metadata would lead us to understand. It suggests a provocative relationship with the natural world and I wonder how it participates in visual politics surrounding these kinds of figures in relationship with animals. Curator: Exactly! The woman, seemingly at peace, becomes an almost allegorical figure of harmonious connection with the avian world, almost like Saint Francis in drag, but instead of divine connectivity we get, well, the animal kingdom incarnate! The array of species—from emus to eagles to finches, perhaps—becomes a symbol of interconnectedness, but on closer examination I have to ask, how natural is that environment anyway? What underlying socio-political argument is happening? Editor: Indeed! And it reminds me, too, of how Western societies often view such figures—particularly nude women—within artistic frameworks. How does the setting, this slightly flattened perspective landscape and bird theme, inform its perception? What I would be more interested to discover: in what ways do the formal composition and subject of “Receptivity” reinforce or subvert power structures. Curator: Ah, and speaking of formal composition, there’s also an uncanny realism here. The artist presents an idealized world. And maybe that's why there's so many damn birds everywhere! We can explore the visual coding. The woman is an anima or earth-mother image, but the number and kinds of birds imply some type of new post-humanist vision? Editor: Certainly! It also brings up questions regarding this vision of connection; does such art flatten different global and even indigenous relations with natural ecosystems by universalizing one view on what is meant by harmony. And that landscape looks painted over. Is that commentary? Curator: Yes, all things considered, "Receptivity" is a compelling image. Editor: I agree; It serves to question conventional historical roles of gender in art. Curator: Indeed; Sandberg makes a rather powerful contribution that goes far beyond avian appreciation.