Hamlet 

Curator: Just look at this evocative piece by John Austen, simply titled "Hamlet". I am intrigued by it! Editor: Intrigued, yes, but also a little haunted! It reminds me of those unsettling Victorian mourning portraits, only more stylized and ethereal. Curator: Ethereal is a great word for it! Austen has rendered these symbolic forms with meticulous detail using ink, giving the image a timeless quality. The two circles, almost like pendants, present us with contrasting ideas: one of life, the other, of death, or at least, the proximity of it. Editor: The faces emerging from floral arrangements in the first circle do suggest a sense of vibrant life, almost celebratory, yet it is juxtaposed with that tiny nude figure poised on top and the skull lurking among peering faces in the other pendant. It makes me uneasy – in a good way, I suppose. There is such an openness regarding the exploration of mortality. Curator: That sense of unease might stem from the cultural context it emerged from, around the early 20th century, when there was a burgeoning interest in spiritualism and the occult. Perhaps, this work acts as a meditation on Hamlet’s famous soliloquy, that questioning between ‘to be or not to be.' Editor: Interesting observation! It resonates with the rising tensions after the war when societal norms were radically reshaped and redefined by women within society. "Hamlet" then stands in opposition of any solid and stable, heteronormative foundation; instead, we witness unstable depictions of female representation throughout Austen's visual interpretation, reflecting women's evolving status during the beginning of the twentieth century. Curator: The power of art lies in its capacity to mirror back to us the anxieties and fascinations of an era! Seeing Hamlet, now, does encourage me to face mortality rather playfully and bravely. Editor: And for me, it highlights the constant negotiation of gendered identity that underpins it, urging audiences to delve deeper.