Bird on Foot 

Curator: Standing before us is "Bird on Foot," a mixed-media print by Walter Battiss. It showcases his distinct graphic style, a powerful combination of abstraction and figuration. Editor: My immediate reaction is one of stark simplicity, almost unsettling. A white bird is nestled beside a human foot depicted in beige. The dark-brown background further intensifies the graphic, flattened quality. It's…peculiar, really. Curator: Battiss, a South African artist, was deeply fascinated by indigenous art forms and ancient cultures. This piece resonates with symbolism. The bird, often associated with freedom or the soul, contrasts provocatively with the grounding presence of the foot. What connections do you infer here? Editor: Well, historically, birds are frequently interpreted as messengers of the divine or symbols of transcendence. Grounding it with the human foot brings it, literally, down to earth. Is Battiss suggesting an opposition between the spiritual and the mundane, the ideal versus the real? And given the South African context, is there also something about movement or the restriction thereof? Curator: It is tempting to read that conflict. Consider the period, during Apartheid in South Africa when movement and freedom were controlled for many. He later developed his "Fook Island" concept, where he created an imagined, free society – escapism perhaps became vital as a strategy in itself? This flat colour palette reminds one of posters, a graphic tool that invites participation, awareness. It presents a simplified yet loaded symbol. Editor: Your points regarding the socio-political situation certainly deepen our perception. Art like this compels public dialogue by confronting norms in a disarming and imaginative way. I mean, what could be simpler than a bird and a foot? But in the light of those associations and cultural meanings, they generate dialogue. I think the scale here also has an impact. The foot appears monumental, suggesting something enduring and resilient… the grounding, again, as it were. Curator: Indeed. Its almost glyph-like clarity invites continuous re-readings depending on your socio-historical moment. So even something which feels minimal contains a great wealth of memory and implication. Editor: Ultimately, Walter Battiss provides us not just with an image, but with a conceptual provocation. And to me, that's the crucial role of art within a society – to spark discourse.