Califé 2015

Editor: So, this is *Califé* by Mariojosé Ángeles, from 2015, rendered in acrylic. I'm struck by its vibrant colors; the blues really make the yellows and oranges pop. What catches your eye when you look at this piece? Curator: As a materialist, I’m particularly drawn to how the acrylic is used. The fluidity suggests a process that embraces chance, but also reveals a consciousness about control over the medium itself. How do you think the artist’s technique challenges traditional notions of painting? Editor: I guess it's moving away from a realistic, representational goal, to focus on the materiality and the process… it feels almost sculptural, even though it's paint. The forms suggest figures but aren’t explicitly defined. Is it about the consumption of color and form? Curator: Precisely. Think about the labor involved in layering these colors, the build-up and the gestures—isn’t it challenging the historical separation between the ‘high art’ of painting and the perceived ‘lower status’ of craft, where materiality and process are foregrounded? This work uses mass-produced materials, so how might its cultural context change the way the image is viewed and ultimately commodified? Editor: So, it's not just about what is depicted, but the way it’s made, and the journey the materials take? From a tube of acrylic paint to… something that asks questions about art itself? Curator: Exactly! It forces us to think about the labor and the industrial processes that underpin what we often consider fine art. Seeing this work, considering the material and manufacturing contexts changes my whole experience of the piece. How about you? Editor: I hadn’t really considered the journey of the acrylic paint itself before. I am definitely thinking about it now. Thanks.