Sea Horse 1986

Lubo Kristek made this ‘Sea Horse’ sculpture from wood, at some point, somewhere. I love that the natural form of the wood determines the final outcome. It’s as if he's in conversation with the material. There’s something really striking about the texture of the wood. You can almost feel the grain under your fingers. The way the surface is rough and uneven, it’s not trying to be perfect, and that's what I find so compelling. Look at the rope tied around the horse’s neck, how it cinches the wood, constricting it. And then the playing card, stuck on, almost like a misplaced sticker. Kristek reminds me a bit of Kurt Schwitters in that he sees artmaking as a process of bringing together the discarded materials of the world. Art is a conversation, an ongoing exchange of ideas, and Kristek embraces ambiguity, inviting us to find our own meanings within his work.