The Silence I Become 

Curator: Let's examine "The Silence I Become" by Troy Brooks, likely oil on canvas. The composition and muted color palette gives it an unsettling dream-like quality, doesn’t it? The elongated forms, the bizarre headdress… what grabs your attention first? Editor: Definitely the strange figure on the red sofa! I’m struck by the contrast of her elegant dress and pose with her alien-like features and the disturbing arm reaching in from the bottom of the frame. It feels both luxurious and unsettling. What do you make of the use of such contrasting elements in this work? Curator: Precisely. Brooks plays with these material and social contrasts quite intentionally. Consider the materiality of oil paint itself, historically a medium of the elite, used here to depict a scene that simultaneously evokes high fashion and something grotesque, something decaying. What do you think about the labor required for the artist to complete it and what does that say about its value and placement as "high art"? Editor: I hadn't considered the oil paint itself that way. Now that I’m thinking about the medium, it feels subversive, using something so historically valued to depict a scene with an otherworldly creature that doesn’t immediately convey beauty. There’s definitely something…disruptive there, challenging what’s considered art and who gets to be depicted within it. And is she truly silent? She commands the scene despite being quiet and composed. The artist wants us to reflect on those contradictions! Curator: Exactly. And let’s also consider how the piece circulates. It’s created through Brooks' labour and presented for consumption, perhaps in a gallery, bought by a collector… This work highlights the inherent tension between production, representation, and commodity within the art world itself. It makes me consider what the artist thinks he can buy or trade in the present market? Editor: That’s such a fascinating lens to examine the piece! It shifts my perspective entirely. I’ll definitely think about the means of art creation and value with all artwork now!