Giraffe 2015

Editor: Here we have Elina Brotherus' "Giraffe" from 2015, a photograph featuring a nude figure wearing a giraffe mask. The overall impression is unsettling, even absurd. What stands out to you? Curator: It’s a fascinating juxtaposition, isn't it? From a materialist perspective, the stark contrast between the manufactured giraffe mask and the naked human body is striking. Consider the labor involved: the industrial production of the mask versus the individual performance captured by the lens. Editor: I hadn’t thought of it that way, more just as a surreal image. What does that contrast tell us, do you think? Curator: It makes me question the artifice of both nature and identity. The mass-produced mask represents a commodified version of “nature,” while the exposed body invites us to consider how notions of “naturalness” are themselves constructed. What kind of exchange happens here? Editor: So you are thinking about mass culture imposed on our own materiality? I see that now. What does the photography aspect bring to this discussion about the materiality of the artwork? Curator: Exactly! The photographic process itself is key. It flattens the three-dimensionality of the scene into a two-dimensional image, which is then consumed by the viewer. How does this mediation affect our understanding of the materials and the body present in the artwork? Editor: That’s a really interesting point. I’m starting to see this as more than just a bizarre portrait, and more a meditation on consumerism’s weird, warping effect. Thanks! Curator: It challenges our preconceptions about nature, industry, and the self through this specific manipulation of form. A strange artwork indeed.