Car Boys 2019

Editor: We’re looking at Salman Toor’s "Car Boys" from 2019, done in oil and acrylic. It's quite an arresting scene: a car full of people seemingly pulled over by police in a somewhat overgrown landscape. The atmosphere is unsettling, but there’s also something oddly dreamlike about the execution. What strikes you when you look at it? Curator: It's interesting that you picked up on that dreamlike quality. For me, that links directly to the socio-political undercurrents in Toor's work. Think about who gets depicted in what ways, and who holds the power in these kinds of everyday encounters. This seemingly routine traffic stop hints at broader issues of surveillance, prejudice, and the anxieties faced by marginalized communities, particularly within the West. Do you notice how the figures' expressions contribute to this reading? Editor: Yes, the slightly apprehensive, almost defiant looks on the faces in the car versus the somewhat detached, authoritative postures of the officers. But what about the setting? It doesn’t feel particularly American or European, does it? Curator: Exactly. Toor often blends settings and identities, refusing easy categorization. This "anywhere" quality amplifies the universality of the themes. Where does one feel safe, and under what conditions? Are the officers there to protect and serve, or to impose a certain societal norm? The figures here are a statement on a particular form of belonging. Editor: So the seemingly casual genre scene actually becomes a potent comment on power dynamics and the feeling of being watched, and questioned... Curator: Precisely. Toor uses familiar visual language to ask difficult, pertinent questions about the society we inhabit. Editor: That’s made me see it in a completely different light, highlighting how setting can contribute to the tone. I'll remember that! Curator: I am very glad I helped shed a light for you. It also highlights the responsibility and power we wield as interpreters.