Untitled (Bataille) 1976

This grid by Juliao Sarmento is a monochrome dance between tones. Imagine the artist in the studio, maybe shifting and re-shifting, working with the images on the left, the images on the right in his consciousness. What’s so cool about this piece is that the artist isn't necessarily trying to show you something specific, but rather, exploring the space between intention and accident, kind of like life itself, right? I can imagine him feeling his way through this process, maybe feeling a little lost, maybe stumbling upon something unexpected along the way. The surfaces show a conversation—a dialogue between the artist's hand and the material. I think about Agnes Martin and Sol LeWitt, and the way they considered seriality and how, through their art, they show us that we can all look at things differently. Ultimately, for me, this is how art evolves. Artists build on the ideas of those who came before, pushing boundaries, opening up new possibilities. They embrace not-knowing and trust in the process, even if it leads them down unexpected paths.