From a birds perspective 2020

Editor: Alfred Freddy Krupa's "From a birds perspective," created in 2020 using ink, presents this fascinating, almost dreamlike image. It's so gestural and fluid. What strikes you about it? Curator: Considering the 'means of production,' this ink drawing prompts a discussion beyond traditional aesthetic appreciation. Notice the interplay between the deliberate, controlled lines and the freely applied washes. What social narratives emerge when we think about Krupa’s labor and artistic practice, how his hand brings it all into creation? Editor: I see that now. It feels less like a depiction and more about the *act* of depicting. Curator: Precisely. The artist's active participation in making a work of art, the conscious manipulation of a basic and humble material such as ink— that transforms the substance. How does the simplicity of the medium affect our interpretation of the "surrealist" forms represented, do you think? Editor: Maybe it grounds the surrealism somehow? Like the tangible process makes the intangible image more real. It seems to elevate ink from just a drawing tool to something more central. Curator: Indeed. In materially engaging with such fluid art supplies, there is opportunity to break away from pre-conceived ideas about his art form, but what sort of ideas is Krupa possibly trying to break free from? Editor: That's a really good question and actually, I’m not entirely sure, I think that maybe requires additional viewing… Thank you for broadening my views of it! Curator: And thank you for these stimulating thoughts. Looking through the lens of materials and process has definitely enriched my reading of the artwork!