Anticipation (colour insert from Abracadabra) 2019

Pavlo Makov made this large painting, *Anticipation*—it's about 130 x 119 cm—with what looks like mixed media on canvas, and right away, the color just hits you. It's this intense, almost apocalyptic, red-orange that makes you think about heat, about something burning. Looking closer, you see this tree-like form that morphs into a human foot, kinda surreal. The paint is applied in layers, with these thin washes and scumbles that create a textured surface, like the earth itself has been dug up and disturbed. And then there are these little architectural details scattered around, connected by fine lines, almost like a map of some kind. What gets me is how Makov uses these different elements—the organic, the human, the architectural—to create a sense of unease, like we're on the verge of something big. It reminds me a bit of Anselm Kiefer's work, that same feeling of history and myth colliding in a really powerful way. It's a painting that definitely invites you to bring your own story to it.