Songlines: Glacier (Norway) 2018

Howardena Pindell made this work, Songlines: Glacier (Norway), and it's like a dreamy landscape built from tactile, process-oriented exploration. The way Pindell builds up the surface is really compelling; it's thick, and opaque but also has this delicate, almost lace-like quality. All those little dots create a kind of shimmering effect across the surface, like light reflecting off ice. It’s fascinating to consider how the material qualities shape our emotional experience; the texture of the paint, the subtle shifts in tone, and the repetitive gesture of those punched dots become almost meditative. Those little dots feel so crucial to understanding the work. They create a kind of visual rhythm, but also suggest a sense of vulnerability. Pindell's innovative mark-making reminds me of Yayoi Kusama’s obsessive use of polka dots, where repetition and accumulation become powerful tools for expression. It’s this conversation across time, artists pushing each other, and embracing ambiguity that keeps the art world interesting.