Fake 

Editor: Let’s spend a moment with "Fake," an oil painting portrait by Cathrine Edlinger-Kunze. The sitter, perched rather precariously, seems almost swallowed by this enormous plumed hat. It's expressive and theatrical, but there's also this undercurrent of melancholy. What catches your eye when you look at this piece? Curator: Oh, the dance between boldness and vulnerability, absolutely! That crimson headdress, like a flamboyant thought bubble, sits atop a face etched with quiet contemplation. To me, it whispers of constructed identities. Aren't we all, at times, wearing a ‘fake’ version of ourselves? I wonder if she is playing at neo-expressionism, romancing the past with the bright color clashes that echo in that explosion on the right. Does that connect to your sense of melancholy at all? Editor: That idea of a "fake" self resonates. The way she’s perched, it's almost as if she's trying too hard to maintain this poised façade. That bright red might just be a mask! Curator: Exactly! And that almost ghostly quality, those blurred edges – Edlinger-Kunze invites us to question what is real, what is performed. Is it possible those blurred legs mirror the blurred and blended colors of the emotional smoke screen happening in this piece? She definitely toys with us, and asks us to think deeper. I am so happy you see it as deeply, too. Editor: This has completely changed my interpretation. I initially just saw a flamboyant portrait. Curator: Art’s like that, isn’t it? A chameleon shifting with our perspectives. Thank you for inviting this dance. Editor: Thank you for opening my eyes to a whole new level of understanding.