Structure 2020

Curator: Jason Limon’s mixed-media piece, “Structure,” created in 2020, offers quite a peculiar image. Editor: Yes, a sort of habitable skull, or skull house, really strikes me as whimsically melancholic. The textures look quite tactile; it almost seems like weathered metal. Curator: It is evocative, certainly. Looking at it, one can see how Limon blends pop surrealism with a deep understanding of symbolic figuration. Skulls, of course, have a rich and complex history as symbols of mortality and even vanitas. Here, the skull isn’t just an image of death. Editor: Right. The home implies continued life, of sorts. With the two skeletons as residents. The checkerboard patterns on the floor offer a peculiar, maybe unsettling, domesticity against this architectural, skeletal backdrop. I see the potted plants, the simple chairs… There is a sort of irony. We’re not talking about eternal rest but eternal occupation. Curator: That's a compelling point. These kinds of recurring motifs become embedded in the cultural consciousness. Even architectural ones like windows, doors and stairs carry historical weight when placed in conjunction. This domestic setting subverts expectations. Death, often represented as finality and stillness, here exists within a very rigid but familiar framework. Editor: Do you think Limon might be playing with themes of forced existence, or societal roles. Almost trapped within your skull or forced into domestic routines post-life? Curator: Limon does often imbue a sense of psychological complexity into his artworks. In our contemporary context, I wonder what other messages the piece communicates regarding identity, the housing crisis, and social isolation. The visual elements make it surreal but it may contain social critique about home or lack thereof. Editor: Well, considering the rise in pop surrealism and our increased awareness of death post-pandemic, I imagine that Jason Limon's “Structure” will provoke diverse conversation. Its striking form offers a strange view on existentialism. Curator: Indeed. The layers invite a continued look into memory and mortality.