Power and Beauty No. 4 1968

Editor: This is Colin Self’s, *Power and Beauty No. 4*. It’s quite striking, mostly red and black. The subject matter is… well, it looks like the head of a turkey, filling the entire frame. What do you make of it? Curator: The magnified, almost grotesque, image of the turkey’s head certainly challenges conventional notions of beauty. Given Self's history of critiquing power structures, could this image be a commentary on the grotesque nature of power itself? How does the animal, often associated with the banality of the everyday, become a symbol in this context? Editor: That’s fascinating. I hadn't thought about the turkey itself having a symbolic meaning. Curator: Consider also the tension between the title and the image. Is it ironic? Is Self suggesting beauty can be found even in the seemingly repulsive, forcing us to confront uncomfortable truths about the world around us? Editor: I see what you mean. It definitely makes you question your initial reaction. Thanks for the new perspective! Curator: Of course. It's in those tensions that art often speaks loudest.