Canto XIV: [no title] 1982

Curator: Here we have Esq Tom Phillips' "Canto XIV: [no title]". I am struck by the collage, the way the artist juxtaposes these disparate elements. Editor: Yes, it's quite layered. The fleur-de-lis pattern feels regal, yet the grainy photographic images set in those circular frames suggest a more common, everyday scene. Curator: The combination of image transfer, paint, and what looks like repurposed text really speaks to Phillips' interest in the materiality of art making. It subverts the preciousness often associated with art. Editor: Definitely. The clipped phrases—"a human shall," "dotted the plains"—hint at larger narratives, perhaps even social commentaries. It’s fascinating how Phillips uses found language to create new meaning. There's an element of cultural critique at play. Curator: Absolutely. It's this constant play between high and low, found and fabricated, that makes Phillips' work so compelling from a material standpoint. Editor: And from a cultural one! The piece leaves me pondering the stories embedded in these fragments, and how they speak to our current moment.