Drowning by Numbers 3 2011

Curator: Let’s explore Małgorzata Serwatka’s “Drowning by Numbers 3,” created in 2011 using acrylic on canvas. It immediately strikes me as chaotic, a blend of vivid color and unsettling imagery. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: The frenetic energy is palpable. There's a sense of panic, a fight against being overwhelmed. Is this a seascape, or a psychological space? The almost violently applied blues and greens are unnerving. Curator: Indeed. Note the layering of mythical motifs here. The horses evoke a sense of wildness, the freedom of Neptune's steeds, perhaps? Meanwhile, the drowning figure in the foreground suggests something entirely different—suffocation, entrapment. The hand extending from the upper side of the painting - divine help or interference? Editor: Exactly. To me, the central figure resonates with societal anxieties around identity and control. The red number sequences cutting through the water, across his body, might symbolize how individuals are reduced to metrics, tracked and controlled within increasingly digital spaces. I can see traces of political messages about power within these swirling patterns. Curator: Interesting. The numbers can also be interpreted through a lens of Gematria, an ancient system connecting numbers and letters with deeper symbolic meanings, or simply a numerical interpretation of fate and destiny. Numbers become akin to the Fates spinning and cutting the thread of life. And it seems Serwatka’s juxtaposition throws these symbols into conflict. Editor: Right, especially in conjunction with the whiteness of the horses against the turbulent green-blue water which, for me, has a deep connection to the political turbulence we continue to see and the need to fight these turbulent waters. I interpret the painting as deeply feminist: women's struggles mirrored by water, depth and emotion that men throughout history can never quite grasp. Curator: This clash is precisely where the painting finds its power. The horses, these beacons of purity or spiritual strength, emerge amidst the chaos. They suggest a resilience or transcendent quality found even within the darkest currents. Editor: Ultimately, "Drowning by Numbers 3" demands we question the narratives that surround us, whether digitally imposed or historically entrenched. It calls for resistance, for agency, even when gasping for air. Curator: It's a potent image, indeed, inviting contemplation on both individual and collective struggles through potent, visually striking symbols. Thank you. Editor: My pleasure. I can feel this painting in my bones, the emotional urgency will resonate for a long time to come.