7--7--N 1992

Editor: This is Robert Goodnough’s *7--7--N*, made in 1992 using mixed media. It’s a flurry of geometric shapes on what looks like a white background – it almost feels like an explosion frozen in time. I’m curious – what jumps out at you when you look at it? Curator: What intrigues me is how Goodnough employs discarded materials in this seemingly chaotic arrangement. Think about the socio-economic context of the 90s: industrial decline, the rise of consumerism. Are these repurposed scraps a commentary on waste, on a culture of disposability finding its way into the art world? Editor: That’s interesting. So, you're seeing the materials themselves as carrying meaning, rather than just the composition? Curator: Exactly! The layering of the materials, the traces of their previous existence, and the labor involved in cutting, arranging, and adhering them become critical. It’s not just about aesthetic arrangement; it's about the means of production. We must also consider whether they're commenting on mass production processes. Editor: I guess I hadn’t thought about where these shapes *came* from, the materials themselves being a part of the message. Does this challenge the idea of the artist as this solitary genius creating something from nothing? Curator: Precisely! It democratizes art making by elevating mundane, often overlooked materials. Is Goodnough blurring the line between "high art" and craft, using elements previously confined to a lower status. How do these materials speak to larger cultural narratives? Editor: That definitely changes my view of it. It's not just abstract shapes but an assembly of repurposed material speaking to the means of consumption and the social and environmental waste associated with it. Curator: Indeed! It invites us to question the value we assign to materials, artistic creation, and the cycle of production and consumption. It goes beyond just aesthetics. Editor: Thanks, it’s really helpful to consider all this as a reflection of both artmaking and industry! I will keep these production factors in mind the next time I approach such art!