Leaf, etc. 1985

Editor: This piece is "Leaf, etc.," created in 1985 by György Kepes. It seems to be a mixed-media collage – there's photography, what looks like watercolor… It has a strange contemplative quality. Like objects from a fever dream carefully arranged. What do you make of it? Curator: Fever dream, precisely! Kepes was a master of visual language, wasn't he? This isn't just about pretty leaves. See how he juxtaposes organic forms – those delicate leaf impressions – with hard geometry, grids, even what looks like an EKG strip? It's a conversation, almost an argument, between nature and technology. And the large metal item dominating the center is intriguing; any thoughts what that is or might symbolize? Editor: I honestly have no idea what that metal thing is... But, seeing that EKG reading you mention, my initial reaction to it being a dream seems so superficial! What I considered being gentle leaves can also signify disease... It feels very intimate, I think? Curator: Intimate, yes! That EKG grounds us in the body, doesn’t it? Kepes is reminding us that even within the most clinical, technological framework, there's a heartbeat, a fragility. Perhaps the "Leaf, etc." in the title isn't merely descriptive, but a subtle comment that things such as leaves may fade in relevance with modernization. Does that EKG have a particular meaning, maybe concerning illness? Now, I’m lost again… Editor: It's interesting how you see his goal of creating a feeling, through this opposition between rigid structure and fluid forms, not the representation. I wonder what his thought process was when he brought it together. It's strangely captivating to watch a new perspective grow as you share your understanding. Curator: Absolutely! And isn’t that the magic? Art invites us into that creative process, that act of seeing, questioning, and re-seeing the world anew. A still object creates such growth!