Recolles (#9) 1995

Editor: This mixed-media drawing on paper, titled "Recolles (#9)" is from 1995, by Barbara Siegel. The geometric forms create such a pensive mood, yet I am curious, what's your perspective on this assemblage? Curator: What strikes me is how Siegel uses the language of geometry, often seen as rigid and unemotional, to explore the fluidity of memory and experience. Consider the use of the grid, a modernist trope signifying order. Siegel disrupts it with organic forms—are those leaves?—and irregular edges. Does that not hint at how lived experiences defy neat categorization? Editor: So, you're suggesting the juxtaposition of geometric shapes against organic forms, the neat versus the chaotic, mirrors the contrast between societal structures and lived experience? Curator: Precisely. The triangles, for example, have different tonalities; each is rendered uniquely. Could this perhaps allude to diverse perspectives and interpretations within a seemingly fixed framework? Think, too, about how our own identities are both shaped by societal forces and are distinctly individual. The overlaid paper, the subtle staining – everything speaks to layering. Editor: It makes you think about the passage of time, almost like archaeological strata. Each layer adds to the complexity of the whole. Curator: Exactly! Siegel compels us to contemplate how we collect and reassemble fragments of information, perception, and sensation, and she questions how we give them form. Does our own memory select only fragments, which when reassembled imperfectly reflect reality? Editor: The interplay of the medium with the subject matter highlights how abstract art can effectively reflect and interpret the intangible aspects of lived reality, right? Curator: Right, by destabilizing the very notion of a singular, coherent truth. Hopefully, others will view this work now with that same perspective.