Xhoana 2019

Editor: Right, let’s talk about "Xhoana," a 2019 acrylic on canvas piece by Adam Caldwell. There’s something intensely personal about it, almost like a half-formed memory. What’s your take? Curator: It hits me like a dream barely remembered – the kind where vivid colours bleed into hazy shapes, leaving you wondering what’s real. It’s a portrait, yes, but also a feeling. That stark red stripe across the eyes – what do you think it signifies? Is it a barrier, a wound, or maybe… a bold statement? Editor: Maybe it's a refusal to be seen, or perhaps the opposite—a deliberate confrontation? I see a real tension between vulnerability and power here. Curator: Precisely. Caldwell seems to be playing with those contrasts. The raw, almost unfinished strokes juxtaposed with the delicate rendering of the face… it's like the artist is grappling with representation itself. Does she conceal or reveal? Think too about how contemporary portraiture grapples with identity in an age of hyper-visibility. Editor: It feels incredibly contemporary. It definitely gives you that fragmented sense of self. Curator: It's more than just fragmented; it’s actively constructed and deconstructed before our very eyes. Look at how the colours swim and shift. How intentional do you think the "unfinished" feel is, here? Editor: I think that imperfection feels absolutely deliberate! Seeing this up close… I get the feeling this work asks more questions than it answers. Curator: Which, of course, is precisely the point, isn't it? It's in that questioning that art truly lives and breathes. Editor: Definitely food for thought! Thanks for unpacking this with me; I see "Xhoana" in a totally different light now. Curator: My pleasure! It’s through these dialogues that artworks continue their journey, isn't it?