Amaryllis 

Curator: Here we have "Amaryllis" by Scott Fraser, a striking still-life photograph that captures a potted amaryllis in bloom. Editor: The dramatic crimson against the muted backdrop…it feels both classic and unsettling. There's a tension there that draws me in immediately. Curator: I'd agree. Looking through Fraser’s work, his still lifes often evoke that sensation, straddling comfort and disquiet. One aspect to note is that the style recalls early Modernism, though updated, so the history of the still-life plays out through a contemporary lens. It acknowledges that trajectory. Editor: Absolutely, and in this one I see ideas around cultivation versus nature emerging. That terracotta pot and those rogue bulbs on the table make me think about domestication and control—the artist controlling the narrative. Even those spare bulbs struggling to root, hinting at a story of success, failure, growth, decay. Curator: An insightful perspective. Still-life photography in itself is obviously highly controlled. With respect to contemporary practices, I wonder what Fraser's own views are of art and how institutions shape the public consumption and meaning-making of art through the choice of inclusion or not. Editor: It certainly compels me to think about the gaze – the ways that domesticity is feminized, for instance. Even that vibrant color almost reads as aggressive rather than traditionally decorative. Considering those ideas and theories invites a fascinating dialogue around power structures and objectification, no? Curator: Indeed, it pushes against simple categorization. We can use this photograph as a launching pad to discuss societal expectations, gender, and our relationship to the natural world, a relationship always shaped by cultural values. Editor: I agree. Thinking about what Fraser is subtly saying here through this very familiar image—that makes me rethink the genre itself. Curator: For me, its quiet power lies in the fact that one's viewing position as visitor now places us back in his studio. Editor: It certainly elevates the everyday to something quite profound, I think.