Untitled 2017

Editor: Here we have Lucy Ivanova’s "Untitled," an acrylic painting from 2017. The colours are quite stark, the dark figures set against a pale landscape and bright blue sky, and I get a sense of melancholy from it. What stands out to you, what narratives do you see woven in this work? Curator: The somber mood is certainly striking. The figures, cloaked and seemingly isolated, prompt a consideration of societal marginalization. How might we interpret their dark attire not just as a colour choice, but as a visual marker of mourning, perhaps symbolizing displacement, loss, or even a silent protest against prevailing power structures? Does this speak to themes of gender, race, or socioeconomic status, pushing the viewer to acknowledge those often unseen? Editor: That's a fascinating perspective! I hadn't thought of the figures representing larger societal issues. Curator: Consider the stark contrast between the figures and the bright sky. Does it serve to highlight their disconnection from the world around them? And what role does abstraction play in mediating our understanding? Editor: It does seem to amplify that disconnection, placing them outside a readily recognizable reality. Maybe the artist wants to show people outside of mainstream life? What is particularly contemporary here? Curator: Ivanova prompts the question: who is given the right to occupy space, both literally and figuratively, within our contemporary society? This "genre painting" calls us to consider what we are looking at when we survey contemporary life and who makes that picture available. Editor: That makes me see the piece in a totally different way, as a powerful comment on social visibility. Thanks! Curator: Absolutely. Art should challenge us, prompting continuous dialogues that explore, unearth, and re-evaluate accepted norms and perceptions.