Touch-Me-Not 2019

Editor: We're looking at "Touch-Me-Not," an oil painting by Michael Cheval from 2019. The woman's clad in armor but holding a tiny hedgehog. There's something dreamlike about the contrast. What jumps out at you about this piece? Curator: It’s a fascinating juxtaposition of materials and labor. Notice how the smoothness of the oil paint contrasts with the textures it depicts: metal armor, soft skin, prickly hedgehog quills. The very act of creating such an illusionistic surface using oil paint implicates both artistic skill and industrial processes of paint production, doesn't it? How do these contrasting materialities, the manufactured armor versus the organic hedgehog, speak to the construction of identity? Editor: That's an interesting way to think about it. So, you're seeing the materials and how they're represented as a key element? Curator: Precisely. The labor involved in producing the armour—the mining, forging, shaping—is all but invisible, yet utterly integral to its presence. Consider too, the costuming itself – what industries supported the look? Are the sharp grasses at left made from oil? And isn't this "Touch-Me-Not" another commodity presented for our consumption, packaged for easy interpretation? Editor: I hadn’t really thought about the implied labor behind everything we see. Curator: It challenges us to consider art-making as another form of labor, highlighting the materiality of art and its relationship to broader socio-economic systems. The way that light plays across the different surfaces is key too; it almost flattens them all. And consider her touch, is it really caring, or merely ownership? Editor: This has given me so much to consider in terms of material and process. I will definitely look at art differently now. Curator: Exactly, it’s about unpicking the layers of production and consumption embedded in even the seemingly simplest image, offering a powerful critique of value.