Mekong and Memory 1996

Joyce Kozloff created Mekong and Memory, and looking at it, you can see how the process is the point. It's not just about depicting something, but about the experience of making, the layering of thoughts and feelings. The physicality of the piece is striking. It's not just flat; it’s like she's building up a world with paint and collage. The way the colours bleed and blend, the rough edges of the cut paper, it all speaks to a kind of emotional intensity. Take a look at the dark lines that snake across the surface – they're not just decorative. They feel like pathways, connections, maybe even scars. Kozloff reminds me a bit of Nancy Spero, with her interest in history and her use of collage to create these complex, layered narratives. But Kozloff has her own thing going on, a kind of joyousness mixed with a deep sense of history. It's a reminder that art doesn't have to be one thing, it can be a conversation, a question, a journey.