Dick Pick 

Editor: This painting, called "Dick Pick," is by Dave Macdowell. It's an acrylic on canvas and has such a chilling and unsettling atmosphere! The subject matter combined with those surreal details make a bold statement. What social commentaries or cultural elements do you notice in it? Curator: Well, immediately, the remixing of iconic imagery from "The Exorcist" with the hyper-contemporary theme of unsolicited explicit images strikes me as incredibly potent. Think about the role that horror films, particularly "The Exorcist," played in shaping societal anxieties around female sexuality and power in the 1970s. Now consider how the “dick pic” has become a symbol of unwanted male aggression in the digital age. The artist seems to be drawing a direct line between these two cultural anxieties. Does that reading resonate with you? Editor: Absolutely. The visual language is jarring, for sure, but it's that juxtaposition that makes you stop and think about the evolving forms of harassment and violation. Curator: And what about the use of that medium, acrylic on canvas? Painting as a medium carries so much historical weight. Bringing these anxieties into this more traditional medium makes us reflect on art’s role in these things. How are gender, representation and media enmeshed in cultural politics? Editor: That’s fascinating! I hadn't considered how the choice of canvas plays into this dialogue. This piece really makes you consider the power dynamics at play in both the art world and wider society. Curator: Indeed. Macdowell is not merely shocking the viewer; he’s forcing us to confront the uncomfortable continuities in how we depict and interact with themes of sexual violence and power imbalances across generations and evolving technologies.