Modern Yot Skills 2017

Curator: Standing before us is David Michael Hinnebusch’s "Modern Yot Skills," a mixed-media piece from 2017. It is quite vibrant, isn't it? Editor: It assaults the senses, really. Chaotic, raw, and somehow compelling. The sheer energy radiating from this piece is remarkable, almost visceral. It feels… anxious. Curator: I think that's an excellent descriptor. Hinnebusch seems preoccupied with the manipulation of materials here. Note the way he applies acrylic paint so freely, juxtaposing it with other unidentified media to create areas of both thick impasto and flatter, more graphic planes. How do you interpret these material choices? Editor: I see an individual overwhelmed. The bright colors war with the abstract shapes, suggesting a mind in conflict. That face in the center, almost mask-like, hints at obscured identities. Those heavy-lidded eyes carry such cultural weight in portraiture through the ages... Do they reveal weariness or a veiled threat? The red lips especially pop. Curator: Ah, but consider this portrait through the lens of mass production and contemporary craft. Doesn’t that flatness echo printed posters? And aren’t the overlaid splashes and marks of the artist's hand themselves signifiers of artisanal, handmade labor? Is he not bringing those approaches into dynamic dialogue? Editor: That's fascinating, yes, there is a feeling of something created then immediately defaced with graffiti. But what about the "Yot Skills" in the title? I find the "Y" compelling, I almost read it as the greek letter psi which often represents psychology, maybe hinting at deeper states of mind. And what “skills” are actually at play? Deception? Communication? Is the artist making a comment on modern ways of manipulation? Curator: An interesting question, one rooted in the societal pressures of late capitalism, no doubt. His mixed media applications bring to mind those skills that people adopt and leave off over their working lives. Perhaps he is implying a cycle of work. Editor: You've offered a very convincing lens for observing the artist's process and production methods; now I appreciate this vibrant anxiety far more. Curator: As do I your perspective on those symbolic choices, thank you. There’s more to unpack than what meets the eye.