The March of Triangles 1981

Curator: Well, hello there! What do you make of this curious mixed-media painting? It’s called "The March of Triangles", made by Ilka Gedo in 1981. Editor: It’s… sort of soothing in a strange, unsettling way? The triangles look like they're either ascending or maybe sinking in reddish mud? Like, post-apocalyptic sailing boats headed for the abyss, or toward a strangely geometrical dawn. Curator: I see it somewhat differently! Let’s think about materiality. Gedo worked with both acrylic paint and what I suspect are other materials to get such textured results. I wonder how Gedo prepared her surfaces? The texture seems central to understanding its meaning, suggesting decay, and possibly an engagement with abstract-expressionism processes current then. It's almost a land reclamation project of shapes against chaos. Editor: Yes, 'chaos' nails it. Also, look at the big shape hovering in the upper left corner like a polygonal sun with an orange core. Everything in the composition looks distressed—worn away by time, which adds this somber gravity. You nailed it: chaos! Is she referencing any real landscapes in here, or do you read the work as entirely non-referential, based on abstract expressionism? Curator: The latter, certainly! Ilka Gedo often walked the line, it seems, in this series between landscape references and pure abstraction, yet her use of materials is central. Think of raw canvas becoming increasingly valorized in high art markets. Also the geometry relates to the development of constructivism across painting into spatial designs—and how materials signify artistic integrity and sometimes subvert established norms within capitalist structures… but tell me, what’s *your* favorite aspect of this work, purely visually speaking? Editor: The colors are lovely! Specifically how that rusty red meets the blues near the bottom. The rust dominates and I enjoy those melancholic shifts where it merges with these little triangle ‘boats’ sailing away! Maybe this ‘March’ references some of those 1980's anxieties in her East Berlin art community? The end of something or other? Curator: You may be on to something. Overall, I believe Gedo invites us to look closely at materiality and meaning by highlighting production and decay. Thanks for your thoughts. Editor: And thank you for untangling what my emotional response tried to grasp but couldn’t formulate on its own! I need more color now! Let's move on, shall we?