I.A. Garden 2019

Pavlo Makov made this print, I.A. Garden, at an unknown date, and right away I'm drawn to the meticulous mark-making. It's like each tree, each tiny element, is placed with intention. You can tell that artmaking, here, is a real process. Looking closer, it's the texture that grabs me. The surface has a kind of gritty feel, and you can almost feel the bite of the acid on the metal plate. There's a concentration of tiny trees huddled at the centre, and this evokes a sense of density and complexity. The little red square in the bottom corner creates a focal point, but the eye is drawn all over the image. This piece reminds me a little of Piranesi, or maybe some of the visionary architecture of someone like Archigram. Like those guys, Makov is making art about conversation and exchange. In the end, the image is not just about a garden, but about different ways of seeing.