District #5 2018

Pavlo Makov made this etching, "District #5," using printmaking techniques and materials. Notice the matrix: a metal plate, probably copper or zinc, is prepared with an acid-resistant coating, and then lines are scratched into it with a tool called a burin. The whole plate is then submerged in acid, which bites into the exposed metal, creating recessed lines. These lines are filled with ink, the surface of the plate wiped clean, and then dampened paper is pressed against it, transferring the image. The resulting print has a distinctive character. The lines have a crisp, almost mechanical quality, appropriate to the subject matter of urban planning. The tonal range is subtle, almost monochromatic, emphasizing the graphic quality of the image. But the real conceptual weight of this work resides in the implied labor, in the translation of lived experience to exacting aesthetic terms. Makov reminds us that even the most carefully planned environments are ultimately products of human effort, inscribed with social and political meaning. We might reflect on how the built world reflects this same tension.