Gateway to a Grove 1985

Editor: Ian Hamilton Finlay's "Gateway to a Grove," dated 1627/1985, presents a kind of architectural drawing. It's an archway, but the stones are inscribed with text. It feels both classical and conceptual. What do you make of it? Curator: It's as if Finlay is poetically mapping the human form onto the structure of a tree, tracing that vital connection between us and the natural world. Notice how the phrases build, from head to blossoms, mirroring growth. Editor: So, the gateway becomes a metaphor? Curator: Exactly! An invitation to contemplate our place within that cycle. A beautiful thought. Editor: It makes me consider nature in a new light. Curator: Me too!