Dauka 14 1987

Małgorzata Serwatka made ‘Dauka 14’ using… well, that’s part of the mystery, isn’t it? The layering of marks and colours looks like it was a real journey for the artist, building up the image bit by bit. There’s a real material presence here. Look at how the strokes accumulate to create the shape of the cat, the blue cascade and the ring, but don’t quite fill the canvas. There’s something deeply satisfying in the contrast between the dense, patterned areas and the open spaces. What really grabs me is that ring in the background – it’s like a portal or a window, surrounded by these swirling brushstrokes. It reminds me of Guston’s later work, that sense of images emerging from a kind of primordial soup. This piece feels like a conversation. It’s not about answers, but about the pleasure of looking and the ongoing exchange of ideas that is art.