Growth Patterns 1984

Here's Mark Kostabi’s “Growth Patterns,” created in 1989 with ink on paper. Look at how he’s laid down those bold blacks, a real dance of light and shadow. I imagine Kostabi approaching the paper, maybe not knowing exactly what would emerge, just letting the ink lead the way. There’s an element of struggle here, isn’t there? A figure poised with a hammer and a very different figure with a plant growing out of its head. I feel like he's exploring the tensions between creation and destruction, between nature and technology. The thick lines and stark contrasts add to the emotional weight, making you feel the weight of those choices. And that plant bursting forth is like a metaphor for the resilience of life or maybe, just maybe, the persistence of hope in a chaotic world. I like the feeling of all these ideas crashing against one another. It reminds me that art, like life, is a constant process of evolution, with each artist building upon the ideas of those who came before.