You Shine Brighter 

Editor: Here we have a mixed-media piece entitled "You Shine Brighter" by Jahar Dasgupta. The first thing that jumps out is its whimsical, almost naive style, like a birthday card brought to life. What’s your initial take? Curator: You know, it sings a little song in my head, a melodic blend of memory and mirth. Look closely – those stylized cats nestled amongst the candles, are they guardians of celebration, or perhaps symbols of secrets shared under the cloak of night? Editor: That's an interesting thought. I hadn’t considered the cats as symbolic. The patterns, though – so many swirling patterns – they seem to suggest something, too. Curator: Precisely. This feels like a personal language, doesn’t it? Each shape and color a brushstroke whispering stories just out of reach. What do you think of the textile elements; how do they impact our reading of the image? Editor: It's hard to say! It blurs the line between painting and craft. It feels so raw, so handmade... almost…vulnerable. Curator: Vulnerable is such a compelling choice. Think of Pattern and Decoration artists subverting high art with craft materials; the way they valued intuition and self-expression above rigid art-world doctrines. Editor: So, you see the vulnerability as a deliberate choice, maybe even a kind of artistic statement? Curator: Maybe? Perhaps. It could also be something as simple as the joy of creation bubbling up from somewhere very true inside them. A feeling expressed through a gathering of color and texture that just won't be silenced. It’s wonderfully ambiguous, isn’t it? Editor: It is. I'm starting to see so much more than just a colorful picture. Thank you! Curator: And I thank you. This piece invites us to embrace ambiguity and joy; it celebrates art as both experience and expression.