Head XI 1998

Curator: Per Inge Bjorlo’s "Head XI," a small print held in the Tate collection, presents a really striking image. The date is unknown. Editor: It hits you right away, doesn’t it? It’s like a caged skull, or maybe the negative space of a scream. Curator: Cage is a good word. Bjorlo often explores themes of confinement and the fragmented self, so the mesh-like lines holding the shape could speak to oppressive systems. Editor: Or perhaps a personal struggle—the webs we build to trap ourselves. I'm drawn to the raw emotion in the frenzied lines. It’s so visceral. Curator: Absolutely, and that rawness speaks to a discomfort with established power structures, questioning the very idea of a singular, coherent "head." Editor: This piece really sticks with you. The brokenness it shows, the sort of skeletal remains of identity, is hard to shake off. Curator: It's a potent reminder of art's capacity to confront the darker aspects of human experience and societal structures.