Vessel 2020

Curator: Allison Reimold’s “Vessel,” created in 2020, offers a captivating blend of portraiture and landscape, realized in oil paint. Editor: My first thought is serenity mixed with an unsettling undercurrent. There's an ethereal beauty in the woman, the flowers and butterflies, but her eyes are covered and she is emptying what looks like flower petals out of the vessel; it makes one consider the cycle of renewal and possibly, a kind of purposeful, if solemn, divestment. Curator: Reimold's work often pulls from pop-surrealism, so it's no accident that the scene blends realism with fantasy. We can look at this and consider the symbolism. Who is the figure, and what does she represent when considering notions of identity in relation to natural cycles? Editor: The vessel itself, in terms of art history, has always signified potentiality. Considering Reimold's integration of surrealism, I see the "Vessel" as being less about its utilitarian aspect, and more as it refers to our bodies. This could suggest the spilling forth of something transformative that challenges traditional societal expectations placed on feminine bodies. What I appreciate about Reimold’s vision is that it pushes at the boundaries of surrealism itself through a lens of figurative art. Curator: I agree, this challenges viewers. Is the woman blind, or perhaps intentionally shielded from the world? The butterflies above and in front of her suggest ideas of transformation, of potential yet to unfold, or be born again, making us consider intersections of beauty and identity through visuality, while simultaneously challenging visibility. Editor: It really does ask us to confront the public roles of women as vessels of creation and reflect on the broader cultural politics surrounding their bodies. Perhaps, Reimold suggests agency through what appears like a symbolic "emptying." Curator: Absolutely. Reimold provides space for thinking about cultural expectations versus our experiences. This piece creates dialogue between societal expectations and liberation, opening spaces to confront limiting and prescribed boundaries around feminine identity. Editor: It's that balance, that constant tension that I believe Reimold is navigating through her surreal, representational imagery that makes it more profound, allowing for different cultural dialogues surrounding both history, bodies, and representation.