Miss Universe 

Curator: Look closely at this compelling piece, "Miss Universe" by Sarah Joncas. It's an acrylic painting blending elements of pop surrealism with realism. Editor: It’s… unsettling, yet strangely alluring. The pallid skin and vacant eyes paired with the traditional symbols of beauty creates a strong tension. I am captivated and repulsed at the same time. Curator: Absolutely. Notice the symbolic weight of the crown. It normally represents triumph and ideal beauty, but here it rests upon a figure of decay. It raises questions: what is the cost of striving for those standards? Editor: And the sash, ironically proclaiming “Miss Universe”, cuts across her wounds—a literal illustration of violence imposed in the name of beauty. It evokes for me a criticism about the commodification and the often-grotesque standards that bodies are held to in contemporary society. Curator: And observe how she's clutching that bouquet of red roses, only a sickly serpent intertwines the roses as another disruptive element, like an allegorical disruption. Is it about hidden corruption, or maybe even about temptation? Editor: I'd also highlight the artist’s choice to include an almost ruinous backdrop—the peeling wallpaper hints at something gone awry behind the façade, like something lurking or disintegrating, and I would add how that contrasts even more against the gold and glamour presented here, making her appear to be a broken idol. Curator: Right, it plays with the symbolic language around those archetypes in powerful ways, offering multiple interpretations through a potent blend of imagery and surrealism. Editor: For me, it's a commentary on the superficiality and ultimately destructive nature of societal obsession with physical perfection. But I suppose we can interpret that differently, through personal lenses. Curator: Exactly, that’s the joy of this painting, I suppose. Editor: It challenges our conventional assumptions, making us reassess the standards we've inherited. Curator: Indeed, an enduring reflection on cultural values and the darker sides of beauty.