Romy Silver-Kohn: If you saw this image in your dream, would it be a dream or a nightmare?
Lena: Nightmare for sure. I'm Lena, and I’m here with . . .
Romy Silver-Kohn: Romy Silver-Kohn. I'm an art historian and Lena's mom.
Lena: And what we’re talking about today is a weird sculpture.
Romy Silver-Kohn: How would you describe it?
Lena: The sculpture looks like two people. One kind of crouching down and one sitting with their knees out, biting or kissing. It looks kind of human, but it’s also kind of monster-alien-plant.
Romy Silver-Kohn: It's called The Impossible, III by Maria Martins. She was really interested in fantastical creatures that were these hybrids of animal and human or alien and animal. What kind of emotions does it bring up for you?
Lena: It makes me feel anxious because I don't want the tentacles touching me. But also the curvy parts make me feel kinda exhilarated and excited.
Romy Silver-Kohn: It's conflicted feelings, and actually it looks kind of like they're engaging in a conflict.
Lena: For me, it feels like they're kissing.
Romy Silver-Kohn: To me, it looks like both. It encompasses all of these feelings at the same time. One thing that Martin said is, "It is nearly impossible to make people understand each other." So what do you think she meant when she said that?
Lena: I think she meant how people communicate with each other.
Romy Silver-Kohn: I agree. I think she may have been talking about how each of us has so many feelings and thoughts, and it's so difficult to communicate our full selves to other people.