Untitled 1971

This 'Untitled' work was made by Simon Hantai, we don't know exactly when, but it looks to be oil on canvas. What grabs me here is how Hantai seems to have folded the canvas before painting, a bit like tie-dyeing fabric. This process feels so important, it reminds me of how sometimes the best part of making art is figuring out the how, that leap into the unknown. The colours are muted, blues, greens and yellows creating a soft, dreamlike space. But look closer, and you can see the texture of the canvas, the subtle shifts in tone, the way the paint catches the light. The white areas, in the shapes of leaves, really pop. It feels like a conversation with artists like Joan Mitchell, who were also pushing the boundaries of abstraction. For me, this piece embraces the beauty of the unpredictable. It’s about letting go and embracing the happy accidents that happen along the way.