Blossom 2018

Curator: Erik Thor Sandberg’s painting, "Blossom," from 2018, employs oil paint to present a striking scene. My first impression is a sense of unease—the palette is subdued, yet the composition is intensely surreal. Editor: I agree, there's an unsettling beauty here. It’s allegorical, no doubt, but it's the specific rendering of form that commands my attention. Observe the interplay between realistic depiction and surreal fragmentation. It reminds me of the tension between labor and material, like an artisanal product fighting mass production. Curator: Yes, the layering of faces around the central female figure is fascinating. What are we to make of this bouquet of visages? Perhaps it suggests the multi-faceted nature of identity or a commentary on the expectations placed on women across different ages, races, and class. It hints at a post-feminist critique of performativity. Editor: The painting presents several dichotomies in how production is presented and framed. Note, too, the inclusion of everyday elements—the pale green of the wall paint, the banal electrical socket. It draws attention to the structures of display that prop up the idea of the aesthetic experience, really emphasizing how social factors can dictate art itself. Curator: It also brings to mind discussions of how identity is often seen as both inherent and performed. What do you make of the child balancing books, almost comically? And the figure’s hand striking out at the clock. Editor: I am especially struck by the role that materiality plays in all of this. The surfaces and textures—from the smooth faces to the matte green of the clothing and background—contribute to a haptic tension within the canvas. Also, don’t underestimate Sandberg’s use of shadow to subtly divide labor between subject matter and the artist. It can, after all, easily affect a reading of its intended politics. Curator: Agreed, all in all, "Blossom" engages with multifaceted layers of identity and how we choose to see it presented. The artwork encourages questioning assumptions surrounding history and culture in an interdisciplinary approach. Editor: Indeed. Through his chosen materials and compositional techniques, Sandberg stimulates a needed reflection on the very act of looking and, by extension, on the labour it takes to both create art and frame how the subject is observed.