INSECTUS 

Curator: Here we have Troy Brooks' work, "INSECTUS," executed with acrylic paint, part of the pop-surrealism movement and, I believe, leaning into a kind of neo-expressionist spirit. Editor: My first thought is that this image evokes both a powerful glamour and profound vulnerability, what do you think? It is something in the stark contrast, like black and white, or butterfly/ insect motive for face masking… Curator: Indeed. I find the portrait speaks to contemporary beauty standards and the construction of identity. The figure, elongated and adorned, appears almost like a fashion illustration, a commentary, perhaps, on the commodification of beauty. Editor: Precisely! And the insectile wings and mask add a layer of metamorphosis, almost as if Brooks is hinting at the idea of transformation, what society expects vs what a person really is. It’s worth mentioning roses on the ground, adding narrative here… Broken beauty? Something of the past? Curator: The roses certainly bring layers of symbolic meaning, don’t they? Considering roses are iconic emblems of love, passion, but, traditionally, the death too! Their scattered arrangement hints at some kind of failed ritual or discarded performance of beauty. It is true, they may be some representation of the past that person outgrew Editor: Her striking outfit reminds me of old silent movies or, in some manner, burlesque… That is quite powerful statement: "See what you make me to be!". The wings may not hold up the character but are a symbol of her other side. The world that we might only observe! The world only she is living! Curator: Absolutely. Brooks is clearly drawing from the lexicon of visual symbols here, blending cultural references and artistic movements in what I think we may interpret as an insightful commentary on contemporary societal values, a true icon of our age and anxieties. Editor: The piece lingers with me – what begins as a somewhat grotesque image unravels, offering compelling thoughts on the theater of identity. Curator: And for me, it underscores how the power of portraiture in the twenty-first century allows artists to deconstruct norms and visualize hidden societal narratives.