Scenes 166 2016

Editor: Katrien De Blauwer's mixed-media collage, "Scenes 166," from 2016, has this dreamlike quality, partially because of the grayscale. The woman’s posture in the upper image feels almost celebratory, but the cropped image below, where she is holding her head, hints at something more complicated. How do you interpret the visual symbols here? Curator: The juxtaposition of these two poses, the implied celebration and the concealed face, create a powerful tension. Note how De Blauwer uses cropping to focus our attention on specific gestures – raised arms, concealed eyes. This directs us towards the symbolic weight of these gestures. Consider the archetype of the female nude, historically loaded with expectation and objectification. How does De Blauwer subvert or play with those expectations through fragmentation? Editor: It feels like she’s inviting us to look, but also pushing us away, like we’re seeing something we shouldn't. Curator: Exactly. The negative space emphasizes the subject's vulnerability, but there’s also a deliberate withholding, an interruption of the male gaze, perhaps. We see echoes of classic portraiture, yet the work defies easy categorization. The two photographs work against one another in interesting ways. How does that tension shape your perception? Editor: I think it gives the subject more agency. We don't get a complete picture, so she remains unknowable, which is intriguing. Curator: Precisely. This is how De Blauwer layers psychological complexity onto the more straightforward reading of female representation in art, inviting a deeper engagement with cultural narratives and personal stories hidden in plain sight. What seems exposed is, in fact, carefully shielded. Editor: I hadn't considered the interruption of the gaze as a conscious choice before, that's fascinating! Thanks for the insights. Curator: My pleasure, looking at images is always about the relationship of seer and seen.