Scenes 162 2017

Editor: We're looking at "Scenes 162," a 2017 collage by Katrien De Blauwer. The monochrome images and stark composition strike me as somewhat unsettling. It's almost like stumbling upon a fragmented dream. What kind of dialogue does this image spark for you? Curator: It does feel like a fragment, doesn't it? A whisper from another time, maybe a half-remembered movie still. De Blauwer often works with found imagery, snippets from vintage magazines and photographs. It's like she's unearthing buried emotions and presenting them to us raw. The juxtaposition of architectural structure and the vulnerability of the body-- how do those two images converse in your mind? Editor: That contrast definitely enhances the unsettling feeling! The regimented arches against the intimate glimpse of a figure… It’s as if the body is trying to escape, or perhaps being trapped by, the clinical precision of the space. Curator: Exactly. It's the space where inner experience wrestles against the weight of external constraint. The texture is very telling too—it's coarse, gritty… very tangible. Do you feel that materiality contributes to the impact of the piece? Editor: Oh, absolutely! It really underlines the found nature of the imagery and its past, it's a stark contrast with the way photography is so polished nowadays. As if this artwork doesn’t hide its seams… its imperfections make it almost more truthful. Curator: A vital observation. De Blauwer’s genius is inviting us to pause and construct our own stories from fragments. It seems to tell so much, while showing only a small portion. Editor: It definitely makes you wonder what you are not seeing. Thank you. That was such a fascinating peek into the artist’s vision!