Sour Times 2011

Curator: Dave Macdowell’s “Sour Times,” painted in 2011 using acrylic on canvas, strikes me as particularly affecting, but with so much happening here, it's hard to know where to begin. Editor: My immediate impression is unsettling. The high-keyed colors, though somewhat faded, contribute to a disturbing carnival-esque scene. There is something menacing about this fantastical fairy. Curator: Indeed. Let’s start with the formal elements. Notice how Macdowell uses dynamic diagonals and swirling forms to guide the viewer's eye around the canvas. The fairy dominates the composition, her exaggerated features and four arms creating a sense of unease. How does this hyper-real rendering, incorporating some techniques found in street art, situate into any larger context? Editor: Well, the visual chaos absolutely resonates within contemporary anxieties about idealized femininity and commodified desire. The fallen figure is being attacked on multiple fronts: a magazine reading “Shit You Hate,” an alluring albeit threatening candy-themed figure who also happens to be slicing away at meat. It feels like a commentary on the destructive forces at play, especially around representations of women. This certainly doesn't fall far from some discourses surrounding consumer culture. Curator: I concur. And what of the setting, which seems to be a macabre amusement park with the sign “Miseryland?” The characters pulled from cartoons heighten this effect; consider, for example, Pinocchio. Editor: I'd argue Pinocchio is another victim of corrupted innocence. I can't help but read this as a bleak statement on corrupted childhood. In a more intersectional vein, I’m thinking specifically about childhood lost through forced labor and/or other forms of systematic oppression. But I do agree, that there's some heavy commodification happening through Pinocchio’s presence, along with what appears to be Raggedy Ann—an incredibly gendered toy. Curator: Fascinating observations! The interplay of dark humour and grotesque imagery speaks to something profound. Editor: I’m particularly intrigued to consider this piece as an entry point for a conversation around visual art’s role in contemporary culture; after all, doesn't "Sour Times" compel us to question what fairytales, femininity, and commodification stand for today?