Untitled (Bataille) 1976

Juliao Sarmento made this installation, *Untitled (Bataille)*, with stark contrasts and a grid-like structure that reminds me of photographic contact sheets or film stills, where the act of selection is part of the process. The panels on the left use a monochrome palette with such dramatic blacks they almost obliterate any sense of depth. The pigment is applied in broad strokes that almost suggest erasure as much as definition. There's one square that's completely blacked out, like a full stop. Look at the way the light catches the surface - it's not flat, but alive with subtle textures. That’s process right there: the push and pull, the back and forth between intention and accident. The repetition and variation speak to an idea of artmaking as conversation between one panel and the next. It puts me in mind of the early work of Gerhard Richter. I am not sure exactly what these images are saying, but I am sure they are in conversation.