View in the East Nave (The Greek Slave, by Power [sic]; from Recollections of the Great Exhibition)

Editor: So this watercolor print from 1851, titled "View in the East Nave (The Greek Slave, by Power [sic]; from Recollections of the Great Exhibition)" by John Absolon… it feels like a carefully staged tableau vivant rather than just a slice of life at the exhibition. All these juxtapositions! How do you interpret this work, considering its context? Curator: It’s tempting to see it simply as a record of the Great Exhibition, but you’re right; it’s far more complex. Think about what the artist chooses to foreground. We have a representation of a hyper-idealized, white, female nude sculpture placed next to Indigenous peoples displayed as a 'native' exhibit under the banner of United States. What does this say about how Britain, and the U.S., perceived themselves in relation to the rest of the world at the height of their colonial power? Editor: A hierarchy of civilizations, perhaps? Curator: Precisely. This juxtaposition of art and people exoticizes, 'others,' and places them into neat categories of perceived superiority and inferiority. How does this staging affect our understanding of the ideology driving exhibitions and empire? Editor: It makes it starkly clear. The artwork inadvertently reveals the biases inherent in the entire event. Curator: Yes, and by understanding that we are then faced to consider the ethical dimensions of exhibiting cultures alongside each other and to interrogate how representations like this fueled a dangerous worldview that served specific interests. How do you see this piece informing current events? Editor: I see now, these constructed ideas of “otherness” and hierarchy are still a tool used today. Looking at this piece helped me consider how historical biases continue to shape contemporary culture and attitudes. Curator: Exactly, art offers these windows to critically look at the power structures that were - and still are - dictating societal constructs. It helps us to question them and to act more consciously today.