Necrocosm 2018

Editor: So, this piece is "Necrocosm," a collage by Robert Sammelin from 2018. It feels like a strange mix of pulp and digital art. There’s almost too much to take in! What do you see in it? Curator: Well, the immediate impact stems from the collage aesthetic itself. Consider how the layering of disparate images mimics the way memories and cultural symbols accrete over time. Note also how the text, "Heed the Call of the Void," plays with our anxieties, doesn’t it? That sense of something looming…what cultural narratives might that connect to, do you think? Editor: Maybe some sort of doomsday myth? It definitely has that retro, science-fiction feeling. But also the way female figures are portrayed is interesting. Curator: Exactly. The female figures resonate strongly. One carries another in what appears to be a desperate flight. In some traditions, such a figure embodies both vulnerability and resilience. What power do they derive from such a struggle? The half-skeletal figure seems like a reference to a modern take on Thanatos? What do you think is Sammelin trying to say? Editor: Perhaps he's exploring the beauty even within decay or disaster? A tension between the erotic and the macabre…it certainly challenges simple interpretations. I never would have considered the potential symbolic connection between these elements without your insights. Curator: Indeed. And understanding those connections allows us to delve deeper into how Sammelin uses visual language to explore psychological landscapes. Perhaps "Necrocosm" isn't simply about death, but about transformation.