May 17 2005

Maria Teresa Rizzi made ‘May 17’ with ink on paper. I love the way the marks are so playful and suggestive. It makes me imagine the artist in a kind of dance with the pen. I’m trying to picture her making this, maybe on a whim, following the pen wherever it goes. There’s something so light and airy about the composition, with these little red planets and fine lines floating on the surface. It’s like she’s mapping some kind of internal world, or maybe even an alien landscape. The ink is thin, almost like watercolor, letting the white of the paper breathe through. It’s not trying to be a big statement. Instead it is a quiet, intimate, meditative drawing. It reminds me of Hilma af Klint's drawings, where the image feels like an unfolding diagram, a set of instructions, or maybe even a conversation with oneself.