La poste Rua 1° de Març 1970

Editor: This is Gherasim Luca’s “La poste Rua 1° de Març," created in 1970, a mixed-media collage incorporating photography and print. It has a surreal feeling, juxtaposing a realistic cityscape with seemingly random, childlike drawings. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Luca’s work here exemplifies the artistic appropriation prevalent in the latter half of the 20th century, challenging established norms and delving into the politics of imagery. The cityscape, likely a found photograph, establishes a familiar reality. Editor: Yes, it appears to be a real street. Curator: Precisely, but then he disrupts it. Consider how the overlaid drawings undermine the photographic truth, introducing a dreamlike or even chaotic element. It makes you wonder what statement he tries to make using the ready-made image and re-purposing it by adding layers. How might the street's association with commerce and communication—given the title referring to 'La Poste'—play into this subversion? Editor: So, it’s about taking something familiar, like the orderliness of city life, and then playfully undermining it with absurdity? Does this reveal a kind of social commentary? Curator: Indeed. Luca uses these collage techniques to question the stability of our everyday perceptions and expose the underlying absurdity of societal structures. The act of taking and manipulating imagery also speaks volumes about artistic control and authorship. Editor: That's a powerful way to look at it. I initially saw chaos, but I understand his intentional social critique and the disruption of imagery conventions much better now. Curator: And consider that the visual and conceptual disorder enacted in the image might itself function as a kind of political statement. We see it through the lens of the post-war avant-garde dismantling conventional forms and social roles, even in his appropriation of the image, printing and drawing styles. I find the composition very interesting from this angle!