Bloom 

Editor: Logan Maxwell Hagege's oil painting, "Bloom," presents a striking scene of a figure and horse in a stylized landscape. The figure’s serene posture creates such a calm feeling for me. How do you interpret this work? Curator: I see this painting as a potent intersection of identity, history, and environment. Consider the history of Indigenous representation in Western art. Hagege’s choice to depict an Indigenous figure alongside the horse—itself a symbol of colonial incursion and a partner—complicates this narrative. What does the title "Bloom" suggest in this context? Editor: Maybe that it's about growth and resilience in a difficult setting? The yellow shrubs do add a splash of life. Curator: Precisely! The land and the figure are placed together. Do you think this landscape reads as an empty desert, or as something else? Consider what Indigenous sovereignty means in the face of climate change, environmental exploitation, and historical trauma. Editor: It's less empty and more resilient now that you say that, like the figure is inseparable from that specific location. It is beautiful and harsh, all at once. Curator: And the figure, draped in what appears to be a blanket, holding his horse – a beautiful symbol of care or survival. Hagege doesn’t shy away from this loaded relationship but treats it with reverence, a very active and thoughtful pose. Editor: This gives me a totally different lens for approaching similar works now. Thanks so much! Curator: The pleasure was all mine. Art is never neutral; it’s a reflection of ourselves, and a prod toward change.