Cicada Wasp 2021

Editor: Here we have Scott Fraser's "Cicada Wasp," painted in 2021. It’s an oil painting, and, well, my first thought is... why? It feels so sterile, this insect pinned like a specimen. It’s also incredibly detailed. What do you make of it? Curator: You know, I felt a pang of the same… unease, I guess? But then, my mind fluttered to Dutch still lifes. Think of those insects meticulously rendered, each one carrying its own weight of symbolism. Editor: Ah, the *memento mori* vibes! Curator: Exactly! But with Fraser, there's this unsettling contemporary lens. He's hyper-real, almost scientific, but the muted palette, the isolation of the wasp… it makes it feel almost mournful. Like he’s documenting something vanishing. What is the meaning to this piece for you, looking at this wasp? Editor: Maybe he is calling attention to something overlooked, a tiny tragedy rendered monumental through sheer detail and scale. It seems…important. Curator: It certainly buzzes with contemplation, doesn’t it? From anxiety to a new point of view. It also has that *thing* where I wonder if this dead wasp should be treated better with a grave maybe? And would that then be better? Editor: I get it! Thinking about it, that makes you appreciate realism. Something I had forgotten about. Curator: Agreed. I love it when a little creepy thing turns into a conversation!