Obradní tanec/Ritual Dance 1989

Vojtech Cinybulk made this print, Obradní tanec/Ritual Dance, using what looks like wood or linocut, which is all about direct, physical engagement. I love how the shapes almost vibrate, they are so graphic. There's something about the texture of the lines – you can almost feel the give and take of the knife meeting the block. It's not about perfection, it's about the process, the energy of cutting and printing. Take the purple shape at the top, like a burst of energy, a crown of jagged edges. It’s a single shape, but it contains multitudes – hard edges and soft suggestions. And the figure itself is just a collection of geometric patterns, somehow coalescing into a body, a presence. Like a shaman, decorated with triangles and squares. This reminds me of the work of someone like A.R. Penck, who uses simple, almost childlike figures to convey complex ideas about society and the human condition. These artists understand art as an ongoing conversation.