Decorative Plate Between the Fountains near the Palace of Culture 'Chemist' in Dniprodzerzhynsk (now Kamianske) 1971

This decorative plate between the fountains near the Palace of Culture 'Chemist' in Dniprodzerzhynsk was made by Valerii Lamakh, and it's a mosaic, a process oriented artform if ever there was one. I love how the tiny squares of ceramic tile create circles and diamonds out of neutral tones, punctuated with pops of blue, yellow, green, and red. The texture of the surface is rugged and broken, each little piece doing its thing to create the whole image. Looking closely, you can see the grid-like structure of the mosaic, with each tessera carefully placed to form the shapes. The physicality of the medium really comes through, you can feel the weight and permanence of the materials. The way the circles are formed, with one colour defining the perimeter and others floating freely inside, it reminds me a little of Miro. Ultimately, it's art as an ongoing conversation, embracing ambiguity and multiple interpretations over fixed meanings.