Monte Carlo 

Editor: Here we have Micaela Eleutheriade's "Monte Carlo", an oil painting rendered en plein-air. It strikes me as a depiction of leisure, perhaps even of wealth. How do you interpret this work? Curator: I see Eleutheriade’s "Monte Carlo" as less a straightforward landscape and more an exploration of the visual language used to construct perceptions of places like Monte Carlo. How do we reconcile the image of Monte Carlo as a playground for the wealthy with the historical realities of resource extraction, colonialism, and class disparities that underpin such leisure? Editor: That's interesting. I hadn't considered those elements at play. I was focused more on the carefree depiction of the scene. Can you expand on that connection? Curator: Well, consider the quick, impressionistic brushstrokes. They give a sense of immediacy, a snapshot of a fleeting moment. But whose moment is it? Is it a genuine capturing of life or a romanticized, mediated view designed to appeal to a specific consumer? Eleutheriade's technique obscures as much as it reveals. Are those buildings real or facades? Are the figures individual people or simply part of a homogenous mass, signifying 'tourism'? Editor: So, the technique itself can be seen as part of the message? Curator: Precisely! The lack of sharp details mimics how privileged viewers might skim the surface of a place like Monte Carlo, never truly engaging with its deeper, more complex layers. And in her rendering, do you see a certain obscuring, even erasure, of other lived experiences? Editor: I see your point. It prompts you to question what’s deliberately *not* being shown. Curator: Exactly. What is considered “scenic” and what gets overlooked is deeply entwined with issues of power and representation. And with tourism, we have to always ask ourselves, at what expense is this pleasure constructed? Editor: I hadn't approached the work from that perspective before. I definitely have a richer understanding now, thinking about it critically and politically. Curator: Yes, looking beyond the beautiful, that’s the key.