Sleep Well 2011

Małgorzata Serwatka invites us into a dreamscape in "Sleep Well". It’s not dated but I can imagine her making it in her studio, charcoal dust swirling in the air. I can see her building up this composition, layering memories and symbols. The sleeping figure down below, a portrait looking on, an ornate box, maybe holding secrets? It's like a collage of the subconscious. The marks are searching, finding edges, then losing them again. She’s not afraid to let the image breathe, allowing the white of the paper to come through. It's an intimate conversation between artist and material. That scribble of green near the bottom is interesting. Is it a hat? A teacup? Who knows, but it’s a pop of color amongst the somber grays. She's probably looking at artists like Paula Rego, drawing on personal narratives, making them universal. In art, like in dreams, things aren’t always what they seem. It’s up to us to piece it together, to find our own story within hers.