boobees 2019

Curator: Welcome. Today, we're looking at "boobees" by Camilla d'Errico, painted in 2019, using acrylic paint. Editor: Immediately, I'm struck by the…sticky sweetness of it. It's a strangely captivating, unsettling image. The colour palette is vibrant, but there's an underlying sense of unease created by the almost hallucinatory distortions of the human form and these... target-like forms that cover her breasts. Curator: The figure certainly presents a confluence of symbols. Consider the bees – they might represent community, diligence, perhaps even the pain of social pressures through the stinging allusion. Then, there are those vivid colours dripping down, obscuring her vision. This resonates with archetypes of feminine experience. Editor: I'm more interested in the how of it all. Looking closely, the illusion of depth with the painted honeycombs, the meticulous rendering of light on the bees... It is highly skilled, almost distractingly so. But for what? To amplify societal views of idealized feminine forms. The artist's labour has reproduced and reinterpreted symbols, perpetuating ideas about labour. Curator: That’s interesting because d’Errico has positioned the female figure as one vulnerable to unseen and pervasive forces. Perhaps her state, even the target breasts are visual statements. This can suggest control but there might be some intentional disempowerment that may make us question those societal forces. The surreal elements serve to tap into a deeper psychological space. Editor: Perhaps, but I think it is necessary to interrogate how easily these forms of visual vocabulary can reify specific gender expectations by becoming commodified through accessible art. This artwork is undeniably consumable, raising questions around our participation. Curator: Yes, I do concede to your idea. It allows viewers to ponder not only the weight of visual symbols, but also how such weight might shift when mediated through the brush of the artist. Editor: A kind of making and unmaking, and making us mindful of our role in that process.