Untitled 2014

Heimo Zobernig made this 'Untitled' painting, and looking at it, I imagine him methodically building a structure of quiet colour and texture. It’s almost entirely white, with a thin line of red framing the edge. I think of Agnes Martin, but dirtier somehow. Like the color is almost, but not quite, gone. Zobernig’s simplicity gets under my skin because it forces me to confront what I expect from a painting. Did he struggle with this, I wonder? Did he keep trying to add more, then scrape it away, looking for the essence of something? It makes me think about how much courage it takes to strip away everything unnecessary and be left with just the bare bones. What is left is a whisper, an echo of color. A painting is both an object and an idea, a testament to the ongoing dialogue between artists across time.