POLITEIA TWINS 2018

Editor: Kexin Di’s "POLITEIA TWINS," painted in 2018 using oil paints, depicts two women in traditional garments against an otherworldly landscape. There's something both serene and unsettling about the figures' posture and the somber coloration. How would you interpret the formal elements of this piece? Curator: The arrangement compels us to examine relationships. The composition is bisected; yet the hands of the subjects are joined. Are we looking at twins? This symmetrical tension introduces a fascinating interplay of color: one draped in crimson and the other in darkness. Notice how this binary is mirrored in the land and the sky above, creating spatial dichotomy and dramatic visual contrast. Editor: So, the red and dark-blue garments create a dialogue and reflect one another... almost a Yin and Yang dynamic? Curator: Precisely! Di utilizes a very muted color palette – mostly browns and reds to offset that bright red, which highlights the emotional depth inherent within the overall composition. Can you observe any other pictorial elements that help us determine what this duality may signify? Editor: The background! The subjects are surrounded by geological shapes…Almost pillars, drawing us heavenward while they themselves are very grounded and earthed. Curator: Ah, good observation. The structures’ placement—their thrust and direction—serves to echo the spiritual yearning suggested by the twins' praying gesture, and create a narrative outside of a single formal interpretation. Editor: I initially felt that something about this felt ‘mythic’, yet now I see a far richer tapestry created through both the form, color and figures within. Curator: Yes! And perhaps now you might view future works with both perspectives: where visual elements converge to unlock diverse potential.