The Shadow People 2020

Alfred Freddy Krupa made these 'Shadow People' with ink on paper, and, like shadows themselves, they seem to emerge from a place of half-formed ideas. I really dig how the stark contrast of black ink on the white paper gives them a ghostly, ethereal vibe. If you look closely at the lower part of the figures, you can see how Krupa let the ink bleed and pool, creating these ambiguous shapes. Those drips and splatters become their own thing, like happy accidents. I always think that the real action in any artwork is in the bit that goes wrong. They remind me of Helen Frankenthaler’s soak-stain paintings, where the paint becomes one with the canvas. Krupa's choice to leave so much white space around the figures adds to the mystery; it is as if they’re fading into nothing, or maybe coming into being right before our eyes. This idea of constant transformation is something I've tried to capture in my own work, embracing that fluidity and open-endedness that art can offer.