Cover Art | ABOUT 26 SQUARES – Artist Statement

Abstract

Titled "ABOUT 26 SQUARES", the cover image for this issue of Catalyst examines the function and weaponization of metaphor in the context of tenancy and economic oppression. It consists of  a rectangular digital collage whose foreground depicts a square enclosed by a thin red border, containing dynamic and abstract color fields, and a background consisting of faint, digital artifacts in purple and teal arranged across a field of muted yellow-gray. In dialogue with El Lissitzky's About Two Squares, this work contends that through novel forms of collaboration and communication, metaphor's power can be wrested from the State, towards horizons of revolutionary possibility.  For more about Alex Cruse’s work, please visit https://alexcruse.xyz.