Ha Ha 2016

Erik Sigerud created "Ha Ha" with what looks like a mix of media, perhaps oil and something else, but the process is what grabs me. There’s this tension between chaos and control in the layering, where a grid tries to contain these fluid, ghostly shapes. I like how you can see the history of the marks, almost like the painting is excavating its own past. The red splatters are like little eruptions, punctuating the muted tones with a jolt of energy. Check out how the paint is both thin and thick, transparent in some areas and opaque in others. In the lower left corner, there's this cluster of red marks that seem to seep into the canvas, like a stain or a memory, pulling you into the depths of the painting. It reminds me a little of work by someone like Francis Picabia, who also wasn't afraid to play with different styles and approaches to painting. It is nice to see an artist embrace ambiguity over certainty.