Gevouwen vorm 1986

Maria van Elk’s ‘Gevouwen vorm’ presents us with a playful exploration of form and process, a pinky-red hexagon against a geometric white ground. The subtle colour palette and paper surface hint at an artmaking process that values reduction and essential form. The material aspects here are key: the texture of the paper, the flatness of the color. The paint isn't trying to trick you into thinking it's anything other than pigment on paper. Look closely at the way the colour sits on the surface, evenly distributed but with a visible graininess, which reminds me of printmaking. The way the pink is contained so carefully within the lines of the form, is like a contained energy or potential, with the white lines around it acting as a kind of echo chamber. This piece reminds me of Sol Lewitt’s wall drawings, with their emphasis on simple geometric shapes. It’s this ongoing conversation between artists, where ideas are echoed, amplified, and transformed. There’s no single right way to see this, and that’s the beauty of it.