Quiksilver 2020

Editor: Here we have "Quiksilver" by Joshua Flint, created in 2020. It appears to be a mixed-media piece, layering paint and perhaps other materials. My first thought is that it evokes a sense of ghostly grandeur and also melancholy, with that fragmented statue emerging from the colorful fog. What strikes you most about it? Curator: Oh, that fragmented beauty! It's like seeing a memory surface, isn’t it? The Victory of Samothrace, reimagined in this dreamy haze…it hums with possibility. The statue suggests power and triumph, yes, but also fragility, the ravages of time. I’m drawn to the colors, the way they swirl beneath the statue’s form, hinting at some vibrant, unknowable narrative. Does the statue feel victorious here, or lost? I wonder… Editor: Lost, perhaps? There's definitely a sense of ambiguity, even a hint of unease in the dark backdrop. Is it commentary on the impermanence of glory, or something else entirely? Curator: Impermanence, definitely. And more. Think of those Romantic painters, like Turner, wrestling with the sublime power of nature, the rise and fall of empires. Flint seems to be in dialogue with them, acknowledging that history isn't just a straightforward march of progress, but a collection of fragments, echoes, and faded dreams. It’s less about the "what happened" and more about the *feeling* of history. Doesn't that resonance move you? Editor: It does now! Seeing it through that lens makes it much more resonant. I appreciate that you draw those connections. Curator: Art's a conversation across time, you know? It's wonderful to hear you recognizing these undercurrents. I'm certain there are still layers for me to unpack in it too!