Normal Women 2010

Editor: Romul Nutiu's "Normal Women," created in 2010 using mixed media, is certainly… striking. It feels chaotic, like an explosion of textures and colors. What story do you think the materials themselves are trying to tell us? Curator: The first thing I notice is the apparent deconstruction of the artwork itself. What materials comprise "Normal Women"? We see acrylic paint, collage, assemblage. Notice how these readily available materials are transformed through labor. Nutiu isn’t simply painting *on* a canvas; he's building *with* it. The “mixed media” label hides a more complex interplay between the commercial and the artistic. Editor: So, the *making* of the artwork becomes a key point for analysis, more so than the theme "normal women"? I guess the title is not what it seems... Curator: Exactly. Consider what “normal” entails in the art world. Convention, perhaps? By using discarded or mundane materials, the artist questions what is considered worthy of display, challenging the established hierarchy between ‘high’ art and everyday objects. The artist reframes expectations of production: assemblage elevates the discarded. Do you notice anything repetitive in his choices of material or gestures? Editor: There's a roughness, an immediacy… The paint is thick, almost sculptural. The way he manipulates those objects makes them look violent, yet kind of playful. Curator: It speaks to the labor, doesn't it? A deliberate flaunting of the time and energy spent wrestling these materials into something "artistic." How does that manipulation affect the perceived value? Editor: It makes you wonder about the artist's intention behind "Normal Women," as something handmade rather than machine-made. The roughness seems intentional, reflecting on process, not a pristine surface. It suggests vulnerability in its exposure of its materials, and questions art as commodity, or the women to which it refers... I had never looked at it from this viewpoint, thanks! Curator: Indeed, thinking about it that way adds layers of meaning, doesn’t it? There are definitely ideas to keep digging into with this piece.