Baby 

Curator: This sketch, simply titled "Baby" by Craig Mullins, appears to be a preliminary study in pencil. The subject depicts a mother and child. Editor: It strikes me as very raw and intimate, almost like catching a private moment. The tentative lines convey vulnerability, don't you think? The very unfinished quality to it lends to that effect, for sure. Curator: Exactly. The visible pencil strokes highlight the process, revealing the artist's hand and decision-making. Look closely at the use of line weight to define form; it gives a real sense of three-dimensionality using a minimalist application of material. I'd love to know the brand of pencil used – and understand its relationship to paper roughness to understand why Mullins chose it. Editor: What's fascinating to me is the social history embedded in this seemingly simple sketch. Breastfeeding was, and in some circles, still *is*, quite a taboo. Displaying the act in a public forum, even through art, can be seen as politically charged, challenging notions of female bodies and societal expectations surrounding motherhood. Curator: Yes, and what does this say about Mullins' labour to create the work? Was this intended to be shown in a gallery, as is? Or merely an intermediate stage on the path to some other work. Editor: Museums, art publications and their support infrastructures absolutely impact the visibility and, frankly, the "value" of artworks like this, irrespective of the labour embedded. Which shapes our interpretations and appreciation in turn. The ethics of that needs continued examination. Curator: I appreciate how considering materiality gives insight into the conditions under which this moment was recorded, literally how the materials shape this very sensitive subject, while your analysis reminds me that images are always embedded in complex socio-political systems, as are we, viewing them. Editor: Absolutely. And by juxtaposing process and socio-political framing we come closer to understanding the profound complexities layered in the depiction of something so elemental and foundational as mother and child.