Dauka 7 1988

Małgorzata Serwatka made this painting, Dauka 7, layering ink and acrylic in a way that feels both considered and spontaneous. You can see how the swirling forms almost materialize from the surface, like thoughts taking shape. I find myself drawn to the texture here, the way Serwatka builds up the surface with these calligraphic strokes and layers. There's a real physicality to the marks, like she's wrestling with the materials to bring these images into being. Note the pale pink curves at the top, they seem to both emerge from and recede into the background, which is built from chaotic grids of tiny characters. These shapes call back and forth across the surface in a rhythm that almost feels musical. There's something about Serwatka's process that reminds me of Cy Twombly, in the way she embraces the messy, uncertain nature of artmaking. It's a reminder that art is never really finished, but is always in a state of becoming.