Arabic garden 2021

Pavlo Makov made this artwork, Arabic Garden, which is measured at 120 by 120 cm. It’s hard to say when exactly, but just looking at the image, I can almost see Makov bent over the paper, building up layer upon layer of these tiny, repetitive marks, a kind of patient meditation in ink. I feel a kinship with Makov, imagining him making this almost architectural layout of a garden, a blueprint blooming into life. The blues and greens, are they washes or fine lines? Either way, they give the impression of dense foliage and cool water, a tranquil escape rendered with incredible precision. Those little structures dotted around the edges, they're like silent witnesses, grounding the piece with a sense of place. I’m reminded a little of Agnes Martin’s grids, but here, there's a looseness, an organic feel that resists pure geometry. It's like Makov is both mapping and dreaming, inviting us to wander through a space that’s both real and imagined. Artists keep having a conversation with each other across time. Every mark that they make is a kind of opening, an invitation to think and feel in new ways.