Untitled [Ref. #63] 2006

Curator: What a compelling, if unnerving, piece. The extreme close-up focuses the viewer intensely. Editor: You’re right. It's an almost claustrophobic perspective. I can feel the pores of the skin, the minute imperfections amplified in the negative space. It is reminiscent of mortality and decline. Curator: The work is Untitled [Ref. #63], a mixed-media piece by Myra Greene, dating back to 2006. She employs contact-printing to create this unsettling abstract portrait. Editor: "Unsettling" is the word. The dark and light contrasts really highlight the tactile quality. A photographic negative transforms familiar human features into an almost alien landscape. Why render the intimate so coldly, almost scientifically? Curator: I think it's about exposing vulnerabilities. Stripping away conventional beauty. By turning the image on its head with this printing process, Greene transforms the personal into a universal confrontation with self and, potentially, mortality. Editor: Indeed. It evokes the "memento mori" tradition—these artworks meant to remind us of the transience of life, like a vanitas painting in photographic form. The heavy contrast, the absence of a welcoming gaze – it all reinforces this sombre feeling. Curator: Exactly! This feels almost confrontational, like staring directly into the abyss, daring the viewer to confront their own reflection. Editor: Thinking about this work, it feels like Greene's reflecting on how portraits, usually records of identity, can equally reveal the opposite, like anxieties about decay or fading memory. A very provocative statement through a photograph! Curator: I find the lack of explicit context around Myra Greene’s intent even more enriching. It pushes one toward personal, reflective responses. Editor: So, it invites viewers to explore their internal landscape by way of her stark visual rendering. Very well said!