Untitled 

Editor: This intriguing "Untitled" painting utilizes both oil and acrylic paints on canvas. The checkered pattern on the figures and the central X-shape is striking, and I'm curious to know what you see when you look at it. Curator: Well, I immediately notice the overt use of pattern and texture which directs us to thinking about craft traditions often marginalized as 'lesser' than painting. This "Untitled" piece reminds us of how crucial these very traditions are to artistic creation. See the weight scales – what system of production, perhaps coffee production if we note the scattered beans, is being implied and measured here? Editor: That's a compelling way to look at it. I was so focused on the figures that I almost missed that! The beans do suggest agricultural labor. Is there any relationship to the labor required for canvas production here? Curator: Precisely. How are paintings themselves created and valued? This could be read as an interrogation of painting as labor alongside other material forms of labor that feed and enable that making, and the overall market economy. The textiles and figurative representation bring a social aspect. Consider that pattern work is often produced in community? The scales help visualize who profits in that production system. Editor: So it challenges the singular vision of the artist and focuses instead on this broader production line of many people working towards a common value or product? Curator: Exactly. This "Untitled" artwork really brings a fresh lens that makes us analyze and reflect on all those aspects, all the human element involved in creation. Editor: That changes how I see it completely. Thanks, I'll be sure to analyze and interpret art with this perspective going forward!