Spatial Composition Nr. 6 1931

Katarzyna Kobro assembled this sculpture, Spatial Composition Nr. 6, with painted metal and wood. Imagine her in the studio, choosing to juxtapose, with an intuitive awareness, the flat planes of vibrant colors with a softly curving grey element, the textures of each surface catching the light. I think about how her process might unfold: testing the balance of forms in space, how the eye travels around and through each plane, the way you experience it as you move your body. The red, black, and yellow rectangles have a matte and somewhat porous surface that contrasts with the reflective smoothness of the winding ribbon. The cool, sleek grey carves through the composition and unifies the other elements. Kobro worked in conversation with other avant-garde artists like Mondrian and Malevich, who were also developing abstract languages during the same period. Artists are always learning from each other. Painting and sculpture have been, and continue to be, forms of embodied expression where ambiguity breeds endless possibilities.