D.S. Garden 2021

Curator: Pavlo Makov's "D.S. Garden," created in 2021 using ink on paper, unfolds as a fascinating landscape—a convergence of nature and meticulously arranged design. Editor: Wow, my first impression is almost like looking at an architectural blueprint that dreamed it was a garden! It's serene but with a strangely compelling rigidity to it. Curator: It does have a striking order to it! You know, Makov often blurs boundaries. In "D.S. Garden," the abstraction dances with very specific geometric patterns. He invites us to question what we perceive as natural versus constructed. Editor: And the ink on paper... such a traditional medium to render something so almost digitally precise. The delicate gradations create a rich, almost palpable natural texture. Curator: Absolutely, the materials add a tactile depth which almost subverts the flatness we might expect from a plan or diagram. I wonder what this ordered space feels like in the human mind... Is it comforting or restrictive? Editor: I’m torn, but it feels more hopeful than oppressive, but that order comes with some discomfort. The arrangement evokes labyrinths, inviting wandering yet dictating pathways... perhaps an intentional symbol? Curator: Possibly! The labyrinth as a metaphor for the human journey is powerful. The fact that it's a garden, a space theoretically for leisure and growth, amplifies that duality. Editor: It leaves me pondering the relationship between the will to control and the uncontrollable force of nature, especially our human nature! It also creates a compelling tension on the page! It asks: What would it feel like to stroll within this imagined world? Curator: Perhaps that is the invitation the artist presents. An invitation for viewers to lose themselves, and maybe find something new within. Editor: Or perhaps re-find something old... Either way, that’s time well spent.