Empty 2019

Rodrigo Franzao made this ‘Empty’ piece by meticulously placing little sticks on a surface to make a square. I can only imagine the labor and intention involved! The upper area is dark, made from blacks and grays. It’s only in the lower section that this thing starts to shimmer with blues and greens as the sticks catch the light. What was Franzao thinking, repeating these gestures over and over? Maybe the repetitive labor induced a meditative state? Perhaps the artist was looking at Agnes Martin, or other grid-makers. I can see them having a conversation across time. There's something so basic, so human, about a repeated mark. It's like breathing. We can read all kinds of intention into it, but maybe it's just being. Whatever the answer, it allows Franzao to construct a world.