Landscape with a canarybird 2021

Pavlo Makov's "Landscape with a canarybird" is a mid-sized painting on what looks like paper, with a striking and unusual image. I can imagine Makov layering the yellow ground, almost like fresco. And then on top of that, a kind of ghostly topiary. Is the tree trapped? The exposed roots remind me of those diagrams of how language is structured, or maybe the internet! I feel like Makov is asking: can organic forms exist in the digital age? I love how this piece sits between figuration and something more conceptual. It reminds me of Magritte, of course, but also some of the surrealist landscapes of the early 20th century, like de Chirico. That strange binary code in the corner, painted in a contrasting red, gives the painting a contemporary edge, and brings out the sense of unease. It’s like he’s saying we can’t escape technology, even in our dreams of nature.