Bonjour Blasé 2007

Curator: Let's consider "Bonjour Blasé," a 2007 mixed media piece by Rah Crawford, which blends painting and graphic art. What catches your eye first about it? Editor: Definitely the juxtaposition! It feels like old Hollywood glamour smashes into modern street art—rebellious and elegant at the same time, don’t you think? Curator: Precisely. The artist uses what appear to be acrylics layered with linework. The backdrop has bold fields of color evoking mid-century Pop art. There are two central figures depicted with sharp lines reminiscent of tattoo art, each figure almost like a visual quotation. It's as though the artist seeks to create some new hybrid visual language. Editor: Hybrid is the word! There’s something about those elegant women rendered in this hyper-modern style that almost makes me laugh. Are they jaded, bored, amused? The title hints that "blasé" wins out, yet they feel… alive. Look at the text integrated into the hairstyles! It feels rebellious, as you might carve your thoughts into a wall. The eye patch and smudged lipstick suggest things have maybe gotten out of hand. It really draws you in. Curator: The figures certainly command attention. They remind me a little bit of pin-up girls, figures simultaneously empowered and objectified, yet adorned in symbolic elements. What meaning might the artist be trying to convey by depicting the figure’s ‘inner’ thoughts so publicly as adornment? Editor: Perhaps Crawford is inviting us to ponder the tension between interior thoughts and public personas? That they become inseparable. Or that you shouldn’t be ashamed to display those interior truths, just as these figures outwardly showcase all the complexities, nuances, darkness, and wry senses of humor. Curator: The "Bonjour" element of the title introduces a greeting. Is the artist using caricature here, inviting conversation about identity politics, about beauty ideals, about cultural appropriation? Editor: Ooh, I love that idea. I was initially focused on the cool factor, but there are definitely layers here relating to commodification. I can sense layers of cultural references converging. Curator: And there is something deeply humorous here, even while being powerfully striking. A bold statement for its time, which I think, still reverberates today. Editor: I totally agree. It’s a bit cheeky, provocative. I dig it!