Exotic 2016

Curator: Right now, we're looking at Jason Limon's "Exotic," created in 2016. It's a mixed-media piece, so it's not just paint on a flat surface. Editor: It strikes me immediately as both playful and a bit melancholy. There's this layering effect, almost like a peep show diorama, but the faded colors give it a nostalgic air. It’s a weird tension. Curator: Absolutely, and Limon’s style often blends pop-surrealism with a nod to vintage aesthetics. Think of the sides as old theater posters with almost crude iconography, alongside symbols tied to adult entertainment. Do you see how he builds a narrative with these seemingly disparate elements? Editor: I do. The piece looks assembled, pieced together from found objects or fabricated ones made to resemble them. I'm curious about the labor here. How much of this is digitally printed and overlaid, or is it mostly built from scratch? It begs questions about craft and the reproduction of these types of signs. Curator: The 'Live' banner evokes a theatrical stage, or even a circus cage. Then there is the lingerie detail and the faded promise of "Exotic Entertainment," which adds another layer of intrigue. The title itself serves as a symbolic commentary. Is it an embrace or an ironic critique of this exoticization? Editor: It makes me think of advertising – the commodification of desire and how materials create that illusion. The whole thing seems designed to sell you something you don’t really need. What is striking, however, is the raw, material presence it gains from not being overtly polished. Curator: And Limon leaves breadcrumbs—the vintage fonts, the suggestive imagery, even the lace trim detail on the base all point towards a carefully curated visual vocabulary that plays with societal norms and expectations of beauty. He transforms what might be considered tawdry into art. Editor: He really elevates low-brow materials to make a rather fascinating object. There's something beautiful and repulsive about it at the same time, creating a rich object. Curator: In essence, the beauty that lies in the suggestive tension really helps to challenge us on the very ideas about 'exotic' beauty. Editor: The rough construction adds to that feeling, that push and pull. I will certainly consider that a lot more.