Exit 2 2021

Editor: This is Pavlo Makov’s "Exit 2," created in 2021, a mixed-media print with watercolor. The architectural renderings create a really unique, slightly unsettling cityscape. What symbolic layers do you see at play in this piece? Curator: The image carries echoes of architectural blueprints but deviates into something more ambiguous, doesn't it? Notice how the fragmented buildings and the bold "EXIT 2" at the top resemble both a city plan and perhaps, a psychological map. The red line creates a pathway. Does it denote escape, or a descent? Editor: It definitely has that dual feeling – escape, but also something predetermined, like a route you can’t deviate from. The buildings are repetitive, too. Curator: The repetition reinforces that feeling. Think about how urban spaces are often represented – the collective memory of a place distilled into repeatable, recognizable forms. It may suggest both the comforts and constraints of societal structures. The image of buildings often conveys emotional meanings, evoking a longing for security but also a sense of being trapped or confined within those structures. Editor: So, it is hinting at how our built environment shapes our psychological state. That's quite powerful. Curator: Precisely. It asks us to contemplate the relationship between external architectures and our internal landscapes. What emotional narratives are evoked in YOU? Editor: I can definitely feel the tension now, between wanting to be connected to something larger and the anxiety of feeling lost within it. Curator: Indeed, the emotional charge within art deepens with each viewing. Editor: Thanks, I'll definitely keep looking and thinking about it that way.