Winter garden 1 2019

Editor: We’re looking at “Winter Garden 1” by Pavlo Makov, a graphite drawing on paper from 2019. It looks like a diagram, almost botanical, but there's a house at the bottom. What symbols are jumping out at you? Curator: Well, the first thing that strikes me is the obvious branching structure, almost like a family tree, but instead of people, it's potted plants connected by these stark lines. Plants signify growth and life, obviously, but contained in pots, implying a controlled, domestic space. The house anchors the image, does it feel like a foundational point, or perhaps the destination of all this growth? Editor: I hadn't thought of it as a destination. More like the origin. All the lines sort of converge on it. What does the presence of the house imply when juxtaposed with nature in this stylized way? Curator: Precisely. The house roots this imagery in human experience. But there is also the question of water, do you see how a well emerges halfway between the plants and the house? Perhaps the image describes a water supply, how a household sustains itself in the cold of winter? The house becomes a container not of people, but of cultural memory: how we adapt and flourish. Does that change your understanding? Editor: It does! So the network becomes a life-giving source. The lines could suggest necessary channels, not just family relationships, but resources. Curator: Exactly! And the plants aren't wild, they are carefully nurtured objects, indicating conscious effort to control and shape nature. So, we might then consider its cultural critique – humanity's attempt to manipulate the world around it for its own survival. Editor: That's a new perspective that I really appreciate! Looking at the drawing again, I can see so many more symbolic connections and potential readings. Curator: These intricate systems—whether familial, botanical, or societal—reflect our ongoing need to construct order. Remember to question the apparent order, seek alternative links and possibilities. This drawing provides a powerful starting point.