[title not known] 1998

Curator: Immediately, I am struck by the stark stillness of this image by Paul Coldwell; the monochrome palette casts a rather somber mood. Editor: Indeed. Coldwell, born in 1952, offers us, amongst others, a reflection, albeit undated, featuring a skull, a suitcase, and a geometric arrangement of circles and ovals. Curator: The composition, a study in contrasts, sets rigid geometry against organic form; the stark tonality lends itself to a conversation on mortality, and temporality. Editor: Consider the suitcase: traditionally a symbol of travel, of journeys. Paired with the skull, it perhaps suggests the ultimate journey—or the baggage we carry. Curator: The image also invites reflection on the interplay between form and void, what is revealed and concealed, through the interplay of light and shadow in this image. Editor: Quite. The symbols here are multivalent. For me, the objects stir deep contemplations about the nature of existence itself.