Metamorfoza 2017

Milos Pavlovic’s ‘Metamorfoza’ is made with ink and pencil on paper. It’s got this eerie feel, right? Like you’re looking into someone’s soul, or maybe a dark mirror. I imagine Pavlovic hunched over this, wrestling with his own thoughts, pushing the pencil to get those deep shadows around the eyes, then letting up for the softer shading on the hand. Those eyes staring out, they’re intense, almost accusatory. And the hand, cradling… what is that, a seed, a heart, a weird flower? The red ink splatters feel violent, like something’s been ripped open, but then there’s this sense of fragile new life in the palm. It’s raw, unsettling, but also kind of beautiful. It reminds me of artists like Kiki Smith, who aren't afraid to explore the messy, complicated stuff of being human. It’s like Pavlovic is saying, yeah, life can be brutal, but there’s always something else pushing through.