Big Boy 

Editor: This is "Big Boy" by Alfred Conteh. It looks like an acrylic painting on a salvaged metal sheet, giving it a powerful textural quality. The man’s portrait is so realistic but set against this very gritty, almost decaying background. How do you interpret this contrast? Curator: The use of the corroded metal is critical here. Conteh consciously situates the figure, likely a working-class Black man given the context of his other works, against the backdrop of industrial decay. Think about whose labor built these industries and what communities are often left with after they decline. Editor: So, you see this background as a direct commentary on economic and racial inequality? Curator: Precisely. The rusting metal isn't just an aesthetic choice. It's a visual signifier of societal neglect and the disproportionate environmental impact on marginalized communities. It makes me wonder, how often are these stories showcased in museums and who gets to tell them? Editor: That makes the figure’s pose, with his arms crossed and his gaze steady, read almost like a form of resistance or defiance. He is unbowed despite it all. Curator: Yes, the pose becomes an act of claiming space, visually pushing back against the erasure that often occurs. Who is allowed to occupy center stage and on what terms is the unspoken question. And what role can art play in creating those stages and prompting those conversations? Editor: I never would have seen so many layers just from the corroded look! I’m looking at the rust entirely differently now. Curator: Exactly! Paying attention to materials and how artists make these kinds of connections invites us to ask more profound questions about power, representation and the very systems we inhabit.