Aimee 

Editor: Here we have "Aimee," an oil painting by Joshua LaRock. I find the portrait delicate, almost melancholic. What strikes you when you look at this work? Curator: I’m immediately drawn to the politics of representation inherent in portraiture, particularly when the subject is a child. Consider the historical context – portraiture has often been a domain of the powerful, used to solidify status. Who is granted the privilege of being immortalized in art, and what does that say about societal values? How does LaRock's work, consciously or unconsciously, engage with or subvert this history? Editor: That's interesting, I hadn't considered that. Does the innocence of childhood change that power dynamic? Curator: Perhaps. But innocence itself is a constructed idea, laden with cultural baggage. Consider how representations of children have been used to evoke certain emotions, to manipulate political agendas. How might ideas of purity and vulnerability intersect with societal expectations and gender roles ascribed onto young girls, even today? Does this work perpetuate or challenge these stereotypes? Editor: I see what you mean. It makes me consider her gaze, the soft coloring... It could easily play into existing ideals. But perhaps the artist is just highlighting her humanity. Curator: And what does "humanity" signify in our current socio-political landscape? Is LaRock inviting us to reflect on the precarity and preciousness of childhood in a world rife with inequalities? Or, conversely, is the work simply aestheticizing vulnerability for the male gaze, absent of cultural context? Editor: This gives me so much to think about. I came expecting to just observe the beauty of a painting but there is so much more to unpack here! Curator: Absolutely. Art invites us to critically engage with the world around us. Hopefully, these types of dialogues can open up those spaces a little wider.