Exhibition Catalogue 1966

Editor: Here we have Helen Siegl’s “Exhibition Catalogue” from 1966, a linocut print rendered in this compelling red ink. It has this wonderful, almost medieval feeling, featuring what looks like stylized animals. The shapes are simple, yet expressive. What catches your eye about this piece? Curator: Oh, that red, it screams vitality, doesn’t it? And you're right, it evokes ancient bestiaries, full of mythical creatures. To me, Siegl seems to be whispering secrets about the interconnectedness of all living things. I wonder, what tales do you imagine these creatures could tell if they could speak? Do they share the same breath? Editor: I love that thought! Especially the way she juxtaposes them—the fish, the almost comical hedgehog, and the horned animal with…are those bats hanging above it? It's so strange. It is like folk art and some surreal dream world. Curator: Exactly! It is like fragments from some half-remembered folk tale! And there's that primitive geometric quality in her carving—each mark seems to hold the weight of history. She captures a playful and inventive folk essence, perhaps even hinting at an environmental allegory. Almost prophetic, wouldn’t you say, for 1966? What does the raw texture and the print aesthetic give you? Editor: It makes me appreciate the handcraft! And seeing how this aesthetic could suggest how, even back then, there was worry. I really do now see the connectedness you talked about and Siegl’s inventive way of speaking for them all, from the bats to the fish! Curator: It's that dialogue between the artist and the material, the creatures and the viewers! You bring to life, Helen brings life! That makes art glow.