Le bon copain 2016

Carlos Sablòn made this painting of a man with a palm tree for a head, we don't know exactly when, but he was born in 1981, so it's a modern artwork. There’s this quiet, careful brushwork that's kind of fascinating. I feel like I can see Sablòn thinking—or feeling—his way through each little detail. The butterfly is like a little spark of rebellion, a tiny break from the expected, and the hand is like a gesture of honour. The artist has this dream-like landscape, and it's also weirdly formal. Look at how the colours of the background seem muted, maybe even a little melancholy, versus the crisp white shirt and the smooth trunk of the tree. It almost feels like Sablòn is mixing up different ideas about identity, like what parts are natural, what parts are put on, what parts are secret. It’s like, are we all just walking around with weird stuff on our minds? Anyway, Sablòn’s artwork reminds me of the way all artists keep looking at each other’s work, and keep the conversation going. It’s all connected.