Ice Grape 2008

Beatriz Milhazes made this crazily patterned, shiny piece, Ice Grape, with paint and collage, building up layers of playful shapes. The way she combines everything is so joyful and free. Look at the bottom edge, where the actual wrappers of Mentos and SO candies are pasted on. You can see how these everyday materials get transformed in her hands, becoming part of this amazing garden of forms. I love how she juxtaposes the flatness of the graphic shapes with the shimmer and texture of glitter and candy wrappers. Milhazes reminds me of Matisse, in the way she fearlessly mixes colors and patterns, creating a visual feast that's both decorative and deeply engaging. It is this conversation across time and generations that makes art so alive.