In the cafe 1976

Grigor Khanjyan made this piece, 'In the cafe' with I think, pastel, and it's all about how the marks build up to make something hazy but solid. Look at the wall behind the figures: it’s not just grey, but layers of grey and brown and bits of blue, like he’s building a world out of dust. It makes me think about how we see each other, not as clear outlines, but as collections of impressions. The colours in this piece are muted, almost like a memory, or like looking through a screen. The whole thing has this great, soft texture, inviting you to get close, but never revealing too much. There's something about the way he builds up the shadows that reminds me of early Picasso, or maybe even Käthe Kollwitz. Like them, Khanjyan isn't trying to give us answers, but to keep the questions alive.