HV2, No 17b 1992

Editor: Here we have John Cage’s “HV2, No 17b” from 1992, a mixed-media work incorporating ink, colored pencil, and print on paper. I’m struck by how quiet it feels. Despite the geometric shapes and blocks of color, there’s a real sense of stillness. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The quietude you're sensing is significant. Cage was deeply invested in the philosophy of Zen Buddhism. We might see this work not as a collection of shapes but as a visual articulation of silence and chance. Cage famously used the I Ching, a Chinese divination text, to make compositional decisions. Does knowing that change your perception? Editor: It does. So the arrangement isn't just aesthetic, it’s almost…random? How does that connect to social or political themes? Curator: Consider Cage's radical challenge to Western notions of authorship and control. By embracing chance, he questioned hierarchical structures, not just in art but arguably in society itself. Think about it: who gets to decide what “good” art is, or what a “good” society looks like? Editor: So, by removing himself as the sole decision-maker, he’s opening up possibilities, almost like a call for more inclusive systems? Curator: Precisely. The "flaws", the visible process, the unexpected juxtapositions... they all become part of the work's strength, mirroring the beauty in imperfection and the validity of diverse voices often excluded from dominant narratives. Where do you think the rough edges in art, literally and figuratively, push us today? Editor: I guess I hadn’t considered how his artistic process was tied to such big ideas about power and inclusivity. It makes you wonder, doesn’t it? Thanks for broadening my view. Curator: And thank you for highlighting that sense of quiet, it serves as a great point of entry for further inquiry and subversion.