Untitled 

Curator: Jaroslav Serpan created this mixed-media piece, entitled "Untitled". It definitely pulls from abstract expressionism. Editor: Whew. It feels frantic, doesn’t it? Like a whirlwind of charcoal thrown onto a white canvas. I can almost feel the energy in the strokes. It looks angry or maybe scared, almost primal. Curator: It is certainly high energy. I think it's key to look at Serpan’s context. Think about post-war artistic production. There was this global rebuilding, a reimagining of social structures… art became this site for questioning form, materiality, and process itself. "Matter painting," this piece reminds me of, pushed against traditional artmaking to confront new realities of daily life and available production methods. Editor: "Matter painting," huh? It definitely does seem… unburdened by beauty. All I see is movement and the raw marks. No attempt at making a beautiful figure. But for some reason I think it beautiful! Does that make sense? The lack of beauty, that sort of rejection, creates something so compelling and direct, so primal and so powerful. Curator: Absolutely. It becomes less about replicating an image or figure, more about enacting a process. Look closely—each line carries force. Even what at first appears chaotic reveals purposeful movements. The social, economic and emotional tumult of post-war Europe likely contributed significantly to its affect. It is the artist doing their best, given their means and experiences. Editor: It’s amazing how emotions and social tension become embedded in something so simple as black lines on a canvas, isn’t it? Makes you think about all the potential energy stored inside everything around us. A mixed-media time capsule. Curator: Indeed, and from my point of view, that's how we trace influence, context, labor, and material reality. Editor: So, even "nothing" like black marks, turn into this amazing statement! Makes me excited to go make something now.