99% NO.98 2013

Curator: I’m struck by the raw emotionality in this small portrait, "99% NO.98," by Sedrick Huckaby. The charcoal seems almost violently applied. Editor: It's a study in intensity, isn't it? The subject's downward gaze and the frenetic lines create a palpable sense of introspection or perhaps even unease. What symbols do you see emerging? Curator: The downward gaze is a classic signifier of melancholy or contemplation, but Huckaby’s use of charcoal, a medium associated with sketching and preliminary work, elevates this beyond a simple study. It feels like a representation of an immediate, unfiltered emotion. Perhaps a broader commentary on Black subjectivity? Editor: That's interesting to consider within a larger socio-political context. How the rapid marks, almost like anxious energy, could mirror societal pressures. Curator: Precisely. There's a cultural memory embedded in this image, a visual shorthand for the weight of experience. Editor: It certainly gives one pause. Art as both a mirror and a magnifying glass, wouldn't you say? Curator: Indeed. Huckaby has given us something intimate and thought-provoking in this small piece.