Untitled 

Curator: Looking at this watercolor, "Untitled," by Ilya Isupov, I’m struck by its dreamlike construction and folksy charm. It depicts a sort of dollhouse scene inhabited by people and animals in what seems a domestic tableau. What's your first take? Editor: It reminds me of being read to as a child. There's something whimsical, perhaps a touch unsettling, about the characters within this painted world. Like a Brothers Grimm story illustrated on a warm afternoon, it draws me in. Curator: I find myself focusing on the layering of space, how each section of the dollhouse becomes its own stage. This allows Isupov to subtly examine social dynamics, using the animals as symbolic actors. Consider the bear in a polka-dot shirt; what societal roles might he embody? And what labor went into these hand-rendered scenes, this attention to domestic space? Editor: Perhaps the bear is symbolic of comfort or awkward protection, a plush protector, though that is clearly a dangerous comparison for bears. The artist clearly understands the materiality of home, though. Each figure holds so much humor and empathy... It feels like a remembered childhood dream, and there's melancholy here too; the wistful expressions tell an almost tragic story, maybe a fairytale in which a home is not what it appears, or as we want it to be? Curator: You touch on the interplay of interior and exterior, of the constructed vs. natural, here emphasized with watercolor in almost genre-painting style. We see the mountain backdrop but the primary action exists entirely within this created space, maybe reflecting the separation between our constructed lives and the environment that supports them. I am interested in the means and context of production for Isupov. Where was the paper made? The paints? What impact has the making of these items had? Editor: Thinking of means and contexts, I keep coming back to childhood memories; and there is a vulnerability that feels very familiar about these odd families inside of one strange structure. The longer I look, the more certain I am it’s a collection of related moments stitched together, of separate encounters made to share space. Like an especially evocative childhood storybook come to life in all its weird beauty. Curator: Exactly, its child-like artlessness makes the deeper subtexts accessible. An accessible form with complex implications regarding class and consumption; rather brilliant when you really consider it! Editor: It has certainly invited a host of ideas and memories! I find that a valuable marker of truly resonant art, for art’s value lies in the meaning and beauty that a community takes from its materials.