Untitled Possibly 1962

Curator: Looking at this abstract print, one might feel a subtle unease, almost like staring into a sandstorm brewing on some distant planet. It is untitled and may have been made around 1962 by Zao Wou-Ki. It's a mixed media piece, including ink and other materials on paper. What catches your eye about it? Editor: The horizontality jumps out—those strong lines give the impression of striated earth, geological layers, almost like a field divided. The way the material’s applied so gesturally—you can really see the movement of the hand that dragged the brush across the paper, or whatever tool they used. Curator: Absolutely. It feels both intentional and uncontrolled. When I gaze into it, I get the impression of ancient rituals and whispers of forgotten landscapes. I feel almost drawn into this sepia-toned world and long to see the story unfold from here. Do you think it's evocative of a particular space, a lived-in place, or maybe it's something purely cerebral, abstract and unformed? Editor: Well, Zao Wou-Ki had that powerful relationship with landscape painting, informed by his Chinese upbringing, so I'm less convinced by the purely "cerebral" interpretation. Look closely and it is hard to overlook how deliberately those layers are built up, hinting to the artist’s interest in revealing, but also obscuring, the process of his making. It speaks of labour, careful building. I find that much more profound. Curator: It’s as though we are catching him halfway, in between. What I admire here is how Wou-Ki offers just enough grounding in visual metaphor for our feelings to take wing and soar off to someplace unique, intimate and self-directed. Editor: Precisely! That's the clever friction, isn’t it? Inviting intimacy through sheer materiality. Thinking about what it takes to make us "feel" through layering of materials like oil and ink is not necessarily a bad thing, and perhaps encourages an alternate viewing. Curator: Indeed. A piece that manages to be both unsettling and strangely comforting. It is hard to say goodbye, knowing what other truths we might unveil from this intriguing, abstracted world, if only we had the time.