Woods 1973

Maki Haku made this print, 'Woods'. It's all about the stark contrast between the solid black ink and the textured paper. Look at the way the black forms suggest trees, but also, it’s totally abstract, right? That’s the joy of art – it’s never just one thing. The texture of the paper is amazing, like it’s been pressed with fabric or something. Then you've got this bold, black form sitting on top, so decisive. It’s like the artist made one swift movement and bam, there it is. I love how it’s both minimal and kind of wild. Your eye just zings around trying to figure it out. Haku's work reminds me a little of Franz Kline, who was all about these kinds of bold strokes, but there's a delicacy to it, which maybe comes from Haku's Japanese background. It's about seeing how different people play with similar ideas, and how art is just one big conversation, isn't it?