Canto XXI: [no title] 1982

Editor: Esq Tom Phillips' "Canto XXI" presents a grid of what appears to be portraits. They feel… fragmented, almost like memories fading. What symbols do you see embedded in these faces? Curator: The fragmentation is key. Notice how each face is contained within a distinct frame, like cells in a larger organism or perhaps isolated moments in time. Consider the historical weight of portraiture itself – the desire to capture and preserve a likeness. Editor: So, the broken images suggest a failure of that preservation? Curator: Perhaps. Or maybe it points to the inherent instability of identity itself. The faces are not easily legible, suggesting a disruption of cultural memory. What does that signify to you? Editor: I guess it reminds me that history and identity are always being re-negotiated, never truly fixed. Curator: Precisely. The artist uses these broken images to evoke a sense of loss and the constant re-evaluation of the past.