Kat 

Editor: This striking mixed-media piece, simply titled "Kat," presents such a dark and overwhelming scene. It feels like a symbolic clash between industrialization and the natural world. I’m curious, what stands out to you in this work? Curator: The potency of Sue Coe’s symbolism truly grabs me. Consider Neptune, God of the sea, centrally positioned amidst oil rigs and what seems to be pollution, but what does he signify? Editor: Power, maybe? Authority over the ocean… challenged by industry? Curator: Precisely! Neptune, the potent symbol of natural dominion is juxtaposed against a stark landscape of industrial incursion. Coe layers meaning here. Note the whale vomiting crude oil – what visceral association does that evoke? Editor: Environmental catastrophe, obviously. The ocean poisoned. It’s a strong statement. Curator: It's a visual language, echoing narratives of ecological devastation and perhaps a deeper anxiety. Consider the historical narratives around the sea, the life it holds, now endangered. Do you see this reflected in Coe’s choices? Editor: Definitely. The seahorse feels so vulnerable and out of place in the scene's chaos. So, Coe’s drawing invites us to confront these painful realities of ecological damage? Curator: And perhaps reflect on our own complicity, our cultural memory around humanity’s relationship with nature, seen through the lens of current anxieties. Editor: It's powerful how the symbols become a lens for interpreting our present environmental crisis. I’ll definitely consider those symbols in a new light now. Curator: Yes, a visual reminder that resonates long after viewing.