Dragonfly Woodblock print; ink on pi zhi bast paper

Curator: Editor: This is Chen Haiyan's "Dragonfly" from 1986. It is a compelling print. The bold lines and simplified figures almost feel like they're enacting a story. What do you make of it? Curator: As a materialist, I look at the woodblock. The process demands a certain directness. Here, the artist uses that to convey a sense of play, a child's game perhaps. The carving itself is a form of labor. What does that labor produce, both literally and figuratively? Editor: I see what you mean. The labor involved informs the simplicity of the image. It's interesting to consider the act of carving itself as a form of meaning-making. Curator: Precisely. It's a democratic medium, capable of mass production, and thus, wider consumption. It begs the question, how does this accessibility change the art's value? Editor: I never thought about printmaking in that way, as a commentary on production and value! Thanks!