Canto XXVII: [no title] 1983

Editor: This is Esq Tom Phillips' "Canto XXVII," it has no date and is part of the Tate Collections. The imagery feels symbolic, like pieces of a puzzle I can't quite assemble. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Puzzles are apt! I see a dance between the sacred and the profane. The key, the papal tiara...are they symbols of power, or are they simply ornate objects, drained of their authority by the artist's hand? Perhaps Phillips is inviting us to question the very nature of symbolism. Editor: That's fascinating! So, it's less about what they *mean* and more about *how* they mean? Curator: Precisely! It's a reminder that meaning is fluid, shaped by context and perspective. Editor: I’ll definitely be pondering that! Curator: Me too. Art that asks more than it answers is always welcome in my book.