MADW - Modern Art Doing Work

The theme of this collection is the engagement in the activity of work, whatever that might entail. Many people in the world have many different jobs, and in a sense almost anything could be considered work, in the right context - and here, such is the case. Starting off, REPORT SUSPICIOUS EMAILS 2 is very on-the-nose, just like its predecessor. This work is somewhat less lively than that one, but it also contains more subliminal imagery, hidden in the mist and dust that is common for this archetype, burned into the screen. One wonders what context this image is rooted in. Containment Room follows a sparse archetype of several previous Room works, maintaining a similar green color scheme and a stark division between its vertical edges and horizontal ceiling. The black space inside this marked-off area contains a few colored vertical lines, divided from the outside by more green - contained, elegantly and apprioriately. Awkward Way to Count is chromatically interesting, being an aggressively warm work and with surprisingly less texture than would be expected amongst its thin blue vertical lines. The black figure in the foreground has a couple of portrusions that, from the work's title, may be assumed to be engaging in the practice of counting, but what exactly? Scoop some Water is nice and straightforward, a concrete work featuring a figure with a scoop dipping into a wide pool of bright blue water against a relaxing orange background. From the figure's orientation and angle, it is clear that this is an incidental task, a frozen frame, and soon it will pull itself out of view and get on with the rest of its tasks. Routine, but a good routine. But my personal favorite work this week is Assurance, a thoroughly abstract work that also manages to be the most colorful work in this collection. The contrast between the warm colors of its outer ring and the cool, darker shades of its interior lend it a feeling of intensity. The word "assurance" can have either a positive or a negative connotation, and it's unclear which one this work tries to lean towards. Please enjoy!