M.M. 2020

Editor: We're looking at Pavlo Makov's "M.M.," created in 2020 using ink and pen on paper. It has a kind of blueprint aesthetic to it, like a fragmented cityscape mapped out as a constellation. What sense do you make of it? Curator: It strikes me as a fascinating commentary on urbanization and control. These geometric forms, linked by what appear to be network lines, bring to mind both architectural plans and digital diagrams. Do you think this speaks to our increased surveillance in public spaces? Editor: That’s an interesting reading. The “M.M.” title and those connected points – perhaps this refers to metadata? Or the interconnectedness and flows of information of our society. The architectural plans may suggest society's plan. Curator: Precisely. Makov, who's Ukrainian, produced this work after 2014, amid complex political situations, and he had represented Ukraine at the Venice Biennale in 2022. Seeing this, how might the "cityscape" motif comment on geopolitics of this country and those surrounding it? Editor: So, the network almost seems like a web, maybe referencing global entanglements. Are those web-like illustrations? It’s a bit unsettling. Could it refer to some "meta" point of control in the world? Curator: The web certainly invokes themes of entrapment and power structures. It questions whether technological advancements ultimately liberate us or subject us to new forms of control. Think about it – how can art expose these societal relationships and what is its role in it? Editor: I didn't even consider how politically charged a cityscape could be. This has changed my perspective, giving a layer of complex meaning to urban planning. Curator: Absolutely. Art offers this special lens to understanding our socio-political circumstances.