The Animal Kingdom (1953) with English Translation (1967) 1967

Curator: Marcel Mariën's "The Animal Kingdom," created in 1953, strikes me as quietly unsettling. There's a starkness in the presentation. Editor: Yes, it feels like a repressed dream! The pairing of these regal portraits with what appear to be horse stalls—it's a potent juxtaposition. Curator: Absolutely. Mariën was deeply engaged in the Surrealist movement. Note how this piece was produced and translated into English during periods of great social upheaval. Editor: The portraits themselves are fascinating. They carry such weight, such established notions of power and decorum. Curator: And Mariën, through this imagery, is subverting those very notions. Consider the period in which this was produced, a moment of questioning established hierarchies. Editor: The repetition, the slight variations between the two scenes... it's like a distorted mirror reflecting the anxieties of the time. Seeing those portraits, it feels like a symbolic dismantling of societal norms. Curator: Indeed. Mariën offers us a glimpse into the evolving narratives of power and representation. Editor: It makes you wonder about the symbols we perpetuate, and what they truly mean in the grand scheme of things.