Pomagne 1996

Curator: Paula Rego's print, titled "Pomagne," now part of the Tate Collections, depicts a woman reclining on a bed. Editor: It’s a striking image. The raw, etched lines give it an immediacy, a feeling like we're intruding on a very private moment. Curator: Rego often explored female experiences and challenges to traditional power structures. Notice how the woman’s gaze is directed away, perhaps reflecting a sense of unease or defiance within a domestic space. Editor: The materiality of printmaking is central here. The process itself, the acid biting into the plate, mirroring the etching of experience onto the female body, the labor behind the work. Curator: Absolutely. The ambiguity allows for a broader reading of female agency and social constraint. Editor: Seeing the process allows us a greater glimpse into how the artist's labor is manifest in the work. Curator: "Pomagne" certainly invites dialogue around the complexities of representation and the lived experiences of women. Editor: It reminds us that art’s power often resides in making the invisible visible, both literally and socially.