Souvenirs 1976

Editor: Right, so we're looking at John Brack's "Souvenirs" from 1976. It seems to be a mixed media painting, and I have to say, it gives off a strangely unsettling vibe. All these postcard images of ancient artifacts suspended above...forks? It's bizarre. What on earth do you make of this piece? Curator: Bizarre is a great starting point! Brack, he was always one for the unexpected juxtaposition. Think of this not as a still life, but a wry comment on how we consume culture. These aren’t simply "souvenirs," they're relics of dead civilizations, perched precariously above implements of dining, almost as if we’re poised to gobble them up. Do you get the sense of, almost, historical indigestion? Editor: Historical indigestion! That's a new one. So, are the forks representing…us? Like, tourists hungry for a quick bite of history? Curator: Precisely! And not just tourists, but maybe also scholars, collectors, all of us implicated in the process of appropriating and commodifying the past. See how rigid and repetitive those forks are? Is there some kind of commentary there? A bit tongue-in-cheek, maybe? Editor: That makes a lot of sense. It’s much more than just a collection of pretty postcards. There's a darker undercurrent there. It is, in a way, an uncanny play of consumption and a memento-mori with an acerbic, yet subdued quality. Curator: Indeed, it is a reflection, that through it all, John Brack continues to bring this quirky lens and I'm glad you were able to take a journey to come to this appreciation of his unique vision. Editor: Definitely gave me a new perspective, makes me question how easily history is packaged for our consumption. Curator: Couldn't have put it better myself!