Fishbowl 2017

Editor: Here we have Camilla d’Errico’s "Fishbowl," created in 2017, using mixed media. There’s such a strange serenity to it, despite the riot of colours and unusual combination of objects. What stands out to you? Curator: It's a potent image, isn't it? D'Errico taps into a wellspring of visual language. The "fishbowl" itself acts as a multifaceted symbol. Fish, often associated with the unconscious and dreams, combined with the bowl’s restrictive form suggests containment, even observation. What kind of cultural echoes do you pick up? Editor: I guess the big-eyed figure feels almost manga-esque, like something from Japanese pop culture. Then, you have the more classical, portrait-style rendering of the face, with almost photorealistic textures, making her unsettling gaze very prominent. Curator: Precisely! This juxtaposition is key. The large eyes are a common trope, signaling vulnerability or heightened awareness. And look at the creatures perched above! Each one acts as a talisman, a repository of cultural meaning. Do you find their placement arbitrary or deliberately symbolic? Editor: They seem precariously balanced. I’m unsure if that's intentional, although the fish and octopus continue the water motif. Perhaps they are aspects of the figure’s personality, or even desires and struggles she suppresses. Curator: Wonderful. So, by blending styles and employing resonant symbols, d'Errico speaks to our collective memories, triggering diverse cultural touchstones within each viewer. Editor: That makes me think about how art can be a kind of mirror, reflecting our own internal worlds through recognizable symbols. Curator: Exactly. We can view the personal within the archetypal, to realize how powerfully these archetypes resonate.