Ignited 2019

Curator: What’s your immediate read on Monica Ikegwu’s 2019 painting, "Ignited?" To me, it feels… reserved, somehow. Editor: Intriguing. I see a confident, powerful figure. It's fascinating how Ikegwu positions her subject against that bold, almost theatrical red backdrop. It screams for attention, doesn't it? What do you think it might be speaking to? Curator: Red, the color of passion and power. Hmm… it doesn't quite resonate with her expression, does it? I sense a dreaminess in her eyes, like she's gazing beyond the present moment. Editor: True. The layering is key, I think. The red scarf is the flash, but underneath is this padded jacket – suggesting resilience, readiness to face the elements, perhaps? The hands are fascinating—posed so deliberately—like they are protecting something. What narrative threads do you find the most intriguing? Curator: The gaze definitely. It pulls me into her inner world. And those long nails! They are styled to be beautiful but they also hint at something less traditionally appealing, too. It makes me wonder, how do her identity, her cultural background and personal history, shape how we see her depicted here? Editor: Absolutely. Ikegwu plays with ideas of beauty, status, and protection, using fashion as a visual language. In her work, particularly the focus on oil paint, it's easy to draw connections with Kerry James Marshall in its intent and direct address of how Black bodies are seen – and not seen - in Western art. Curator: That’s insightful! It reframes how I see the composition. Perhaps the apparent 'reservation' I initially perceived is actually quiet strength? Editor: Precisely! I feel the work prompts discussions about navigating societal expectations, representing intersectional identities and challenging the prevailing art history frameworks that historically excluded the figures reflected in her work. Curator: You've opened my eyes to a whole new level of complexity. It is no longer a simple painting, but a mirror reflecting the multifaceted experience of identity and power, that resonates long after you move away from it.