De-Formation #1 2016

Rodrigo Franzao made this painting, De-Formation #1, with paint and wire, and who knows what else, in a way that feels both precise and totally off the cuff. It’s like he’s thinking out loud. I love how the materials push against each other. You’ve got this fuzzy, almost smudged, circle, then these drips of dark blue paint, thick and kind of gloppy, like ink. But then, look closer, and you see this delicate web of wire. It pierces the surface, creating these sharp lines that play against the softness of the paint. The wire almost looks like it's trying to escape the painting! That little red loop looks like a stutter. Maybe Franzao was thinking about how we try to contain things, ideas, feelings, and how they always resist. It reminds me a little bit of Cy Twombly's work, that same sense of playful seriousness. It’s like a conversation, where nothing is ever really settled.