Quartet 1971

Curator: Wow, Dieter Roth's "Quartet"—it's like looking into the mind of a very meticulous, slightly mad architect, isn't it? Editor: It gives me a headache! The checkered flag motif feels so Op Art, almost aggressive, like a game gone wrong. Curator: Dieter Roth, born in 1930, was a master of deconstruction, taking apart our notions of order. The grid on the left seems to be holding something back, containing chaos. Editor: Grids often symbolize control, but here, it’s warped. The shapes are organic, fighting against the imposed structure. Is that a score, musical notes dancing on a page? Curator: Possibly! Roth loved blurring the lines between disciplines, and music makes a lot of sense. It's a visual symphony, dissonant chords and all. Editor: Roth dares us to find beauty in the breakdown, to question what we expect art to be. Curator: Exactly. Roth helps us embrace the joyful mess of being alive. It all seems very optimistic, now that I think about it.