The All Seeing 

Curator: Standing before us is "The All Seeing" by Sarah Joncas, rendered in acrylic. I'm immediately struck by the tension. There's something both vulnerable and powerful about this figure, draped in that saturated red. Editor: Absolutely. That intense red and black palette sets a dramatic stage, almost theatrical. But the symmetry is also compelling. Those arms creating almost architectural shapes in the space. The cascade of eyes distributed, as if inscribed, across the figure. Curator: It’s interesting you pick up on that architectural aspect. For me, her stance feels almost ceremonial, like a priestess caught mid-ritual. Do you think the eyes suggest protection or vulnerability? Maybe a bit of both? Editor: Perhaps it’s neither shielding nor direct confrontation. The arrangement, in both the density and distribution of the eyes, and the positioning of the arms suggests that the "gaze," rather than fixed, is mediated. What one eye observes, it transmits, but that the means by which we perceive the subject, and our role in it, are indirect. The "figure" as it is proposed dissolves in an encounter between planes. Curator: Hmmm. That is quite intriguing. And yes, Joncas definitely invites a second look, encouraging you to contemplate the complex relationship between seer and seen. Makes you wonder what all those eyes are observing. The intensity in this self-reflective, intimate moment just stops me in my tracks. What are you taking away? Editor: The figure’s subjective space isn’t, can’t be defined within conventional spatial logic. It's like the mind itself, elusive but with familiar architectures we all somehow, instinctively know. Curator: That’s so beautiful. For me, it’s that invitation to reflect that truly resonates. “The All Seeing” stays with you.