Injunction Against Interiority c. 1980s

Editor: This is Mark Kostabi’s “Injunction Against Interiority,” created sometime in the 1980s, rendered in a stark line drawing. There’s something unsettling about the faceless figures; it feels like a critique. How do you interpret this work? Curator: The facelessness, precisely. What happens when we strip away individuality, and render people as mere outlines? Consider the 1980s, a period defined by hyper-consumerism and a growing sense of alienation. Could this be a comment on the deindividuation of society? Editor: I see what you mean. The figures at the back holding cameras almost suggest surveillance. Are you saying the "injunction against interiority" is a response to that kind of societal pressure? Curator: It's compelling to see them as representing a kind of self-imposed or externally enforced silencing, particularly regarding our inner lives and emotions. The performative nature of contemporary life—the constant pressure to present a certain image—could be another aspect of what Kostabi is critiquing. Note the figures stuffed within the podium, perhaps repressed voices struggling to get out? Editor: I hadn't considered that detail. It does give a voice to those that have been silenced by those in authority. So, it’s less about apathy, and more about the suppression of individual identity and thought? Curator: Precisely! Think about the broader societal context—the Reagan era, with its emphasis on conformity and a rising fear of the ‘other.’ This artwork can be read as a potent commentary on those forces at play. And those at play, even today. Editor: I came in thinking it was bleak. I am now struck by how resonant the piece is, when we unpack its commentary on society. Thank you for helping me decode this striking, minimalist work. Curator: Absolutely. It underscores art's capability to provoke discussions, even if the statement isn't immediately evident. Hopefully it motivates continued conversation, which art, at its heart, does best.