Advice from a Caterpillar 

Curator: Here we have Scott Gustafson's "Advice from a Caterpillar," an oil painting evoking the timeless imagery of Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland". My first thought: delightfully eerie! The color palette leans towards soft blues and greens, creating this enchanting yet slightly unsettling mood. Editor: The mushroom is what catches my eye first. It looks less like a fantastical creation and more like an opiate den of sorts. Is it commenting on escapism, or maybe a darker, more complicated understanding of "Wonderland" and its promises? Curator: Well, consider the Caterpillar himself: in Carroll's narrative, he is an emblem of transformative wisdom. Note his hookah. As a recurring motif, the act of smoking is deeply symbolic, linked with contemplation, heightened perception. Gustafson captures this quite vividly. The hookah also references traditional images and stories originating from Eastern traditions that tie into ideas around trade and the exotic. Editor: True, but isn't the concept of “wisdom” interrogated when a child must seek guidance from an opium-smoking insect? It suggests the societal structures of adulthood are in crisis; the elders don't seem reliable enough for Alice. This has huge resonance for our current times, where youth are taking charge in areas of race, climate, and economics. Curator: The work's naive style, of course, tempers that interpretation slightly. It's reminiscent of traditional fairytale illustrations, meant to engage the viewer with accessible storytelling. Don't you think the positioning of Alice at eye-level underscores an empathetic understanding between them? A child and caterpillar both negotiating the unpredictable landscapes of being and consciousness. Editor: Possibly, but children’s literature has frequently been a space where we reflect anxieties around social order. To see Alice standing nearly as tall as an insect, we may read how both confront hierarchical narratives of oppression—with Gustafson positioning this as intrinsic to Wonderland itself. I think, overall, it makes for some very interesting questions and possibilities. Curator: I agree entirely. The picture encapsulates something deeply enduring, like memory itself. The hookah, the caterpillar, the child - all iconic now. Editor: And I wonder, if it also captures the anxiety and questioning intrinsic to any real transformation... It encourages reflection, that is for certain.