Untitled 

Editor: So, here's an untitled work by Zdzislaw Beksinski, medium seems to be oil paint, perhaps even some fumage. The prominent cross stands out with a somewhat distressed texture. It's pretty unsettling and somber. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a deep engagement with the materiality of suffering. Consider the rough, almost decayed surface of the wooden cross. It isn't pristine, idealized. Rather, it presents labor, time, and the forces of nature acting upon a foundational symbol. How might Beksinski be commenting on the commodification or exploitation of religious iconography through his chosen materials? Editor: That's a really interesting way of looking at it. I hadn't considered it in terms of commodification. Curator: Think about the societal role of craftsmanship involved in constructing the object in this picture, a heavy post and beam: where was this wood sourced? Who shaped it? Beksinski challenges the traditional art object by showcasing the raw, almost abject quality of the primary material, pointing toward a context of intense physical labor. Editor: So, it’s less about the spiritual symbol and more about what its creation represents materially? Curator: Precisely. It’s about shifting our focus from the transcendent to the tangible, unveiling a social narrative of production, the consumption of raw materials, and the human cost ingrained in our symbols. Are we comfortable with ignoring where this symbol, built using wood, comes from, when we internalize it? Editor: That perspective really shifts how I see the piece. I was stuck on the surface symbolism. Now, it feels like the art itself lies within the process. Curator: Exactly, seeing it this way lets us examine what our labor actually creates in society.