Pig Sled Side 1 2017

Curator: Oh, this is certainly striking. The raw energy practically leaps off the canvas. Editor: Absolutely. We're looking at David Michael Hinnebusch's "Pig Sled Side 1" from 2017. It's acrylic paint on what looks like a found piece of wood or paneling. The artist seems to be working within a tradition of abstract expressionism while pushing boundaries on acceptable subjects for 'high art.' Curator: Found materials, expressive strokes... it speaks to process and labor. I wonder, what does using pre-existing material—likely carrying its own history—do to our understanding of this subject's representation? Does it complicate notions of artistic authorship, perhaps? Editor: It certainly challenges it! This feels intensely personal and immediate, but also participates in broader conversations about beauty standards and figuration within the art world. There’s a tension there, almost confrontational. Note the inscribed word visible along the lower edge: Does the artist’s self-reflexivity about that act somehow alter what is 'allowed' in galleries and museums? Curator: I agree, this inclusion, and potential defacement, might signal a rejection of typical gallery curation practices; but, by putting on display the material, including any graffiti-like textual additions and 'blemishes', we can analyze the class dimension to art consumption and accessibility to production resources. Editor: Indeed. And while the piece has some art historical qualities that are not hard to recognize, the portrait itself – what narratives about femininity and objectification might Hinnebusch's gestural technique highlight and/or resist? This artist forces us to examine not just what we see but also the systems that influence our seeing, I think. Curator: So true. It’s a provocative dance between materiality and representation. Editor: A messy, complicated dance – as any serious encounter with figuration ought to be. Well, food for thought! Curator: Agreed. Plenty to ponder regarding production, and also the ongoing reception of provocative imagery in art.