Power User 1995

Editor: So, this is Peter Halley's "Power User" from 1995, made with acrylic paint. It’s certainly striking. I find the way he positions those stark geometric forms so confrontational, almost aggressively digital. How do you interpret this work, looking at the ways Halley uses the materials at his disposal? Curator: Halley’s choices in “Power User” are key. Acrylic paint, that distinctly synthetic medium, embodies the industrial feel that pervades his work. Look at how he avoids any suggestion of texture, keeping the surfaces flat and hard-edged. This emphasizes the readymade quality of the forms and speaks to the mass production inherent to consumer culture and, indeed, to the increasingly digitized world he critiques. Notice how these flat planes interact, and the hard-edged line qualities contribute to a further removal of the author's hand from the act of making art. Editor: That makes sense. It feels almost… manufactured, rather than painted. Like it’s mimicking a digital interface or an architectural diagram. So, you're saying the medium and the technique are crucial for conveying his critique of technology? Curator: Precisely. The medium is not merely a vehicle for the image; it is integral to the message. The colors themselves, so vibrant and artificial, could be read as reflections of digital screens, while the geometric cells can be understood as systems or even prisons. Halley masterfully utilizes industrial materials to question our increasing reliance on technological structures. What do you make of the title in light of his production methodology? Editor: Good point! It is like he's implying we are users, perhaps even abused or exploited by this "power." I'm definitely rethinking how I view abstraction now. Curator: Indeed, examining material and mode of production is crucial in the understanding of post-modernist art like that of Halley's, it sheds a light on his intentions for challenging societal issues through contemporary visual art.