No More Tears 

Editor: This mixed-media work, "No More Tears," is by Ben Frost and presents a woman’s face, or a portion of it anyway, painted onto what appears to be a McDonald's french fry container. The stark contrast of the Pop Art style and the melancholic subject is initially striking. What elements do you consider most compelling about this piece? Curator: I'm immediately drawn to the re-purposing of the fry container itself. The work’s power comes from understanding the social context of its creation. A mass-produced, disposable object like a McDonald's container, meant for momentary consumption, becomes the literal canvas for artistic expression. It's fascinating to see how Frost uses such readily available materials. Doesn't this appropriation itself become a statement? Editor: I hadn't thought of it that way, but it does frame consumption and commodification. The juxtaposition of high and low art seems really deliberate. Curator: Exactly. It asks us to consider where value truly lies, both in art and in everyday life. How does transforming this object, something associated with global capitalism and fast food, impact the portrait's overall message? Editor: The sadness, represented by the tears, now seems related to the container it is on, linking emotion to consumerism... maybe suggesting it is empty? Curator: Precisely. The use of acrylic paint to mimic a familiar, mass-produced image on repurposed packaging prompts us to analyze labor. Whose hands assembled this container? Whose hands served the fries? What kind of exploitation fuels the rapid consumption it represents? What does the artist, whose own hands laboured over this image, suggest? Editor: I see, there's an engagement here with the cycle of production and consumption beyond the initial, striking visual. Thinking about those questions definitely enriched my understanding of the artist’s intent. Curator: Absolutely. The materiality of art challenges the boundary between “high” and “low,” it seems. I have certainly considered value and values!