BLUE FOLDS 2015

Rashid Al Khalifa made this object, called Blue Folds, and I’m just gonna dive right in. The entire piece is a serene periwinkle, and the circular folds create depth and play with the surface, almost like a gentle, monochromatic ripple on water. I can imagine Khalifa, carefully calibrating each fold, letting the light dictate the form as a meditation on the nature of seeing. The shadows cast by each fold aren’t uniform. Some are crisp, others soft, underscoring a sense of movement, or variation. Looking closely, you can see the subtle shifts in the paint's texture. It reminds me a bit of Agnes Martin’s devotion to the grid, but with a playful, sculptural twist. This work reminds us that art is an ongoing conversation, an exchange of visual ideas that blurs the line between painting and sculpture. Ultimately, it’s up to each of us to decide what it means.