My Secret Garden, Valencia 2019

Editor: This eye-catching piece is titled "My Secret Garden, Valencia" by Arne Quinze, created in 2019. It's a mixed-media sculpture installation that really pops against the architectural backdrop. The clashing bright colours are interesting...I wonder how it speaks to its urban environment. What's your interpretation? Curator: Given Quinze’s focus on urban environments, this "Secret Garden" seems less a retreat and more of a deliberate interruption of public space. Note the site-specific design. The jarring geometric shapes, covered in vibrant, almost graffiti-like paint, create a deliberate visual clash with the sleek, modern architecture in the background. Don't you think this challenges traditional notions of public art enhancing its surroundings? Editor: That's an interesting point. So you're saying that instead of blending in, it's supposed to create a dialogue – maybe even a disruption? Curator: Exactly. Consider how public art is often commissioned to project a certain image of civic pride or cultural sophistication. Quinze, however, uses abstraction and raw, almost aggressive brushstrokes to disrupt this curated narrative. It makes us question who decides what beauty and harmony mean in urban spaces. Is it truly 'art' without historical connotations? Editor: I hadn’t thought of it that way, more that this felt very immediate, so I love the fact it disrupts. I can now see it challenges these ideas, and also reminds us that art doesn't always have to be easily digestible or traditionally beautiful. Thanks! Curator: Precisely, and it encourages us to critically examine the forces shaping our public landscapes and what voices are being amplified or silenced in the process. I learned something about graffiti today.