Bez názvu (Untitled) 1990

Vladimír Kokolia made this untitled print, most likely a lithograph, which uses the red and green combination with something almost approaching a fresco effect. I love the feeling of something ancient being dragged up into the present, the making of the art object as a kind of archeological dig. The color creates this illusion, but so does the surface of the work, which has this incredible, slightly crumbling, textural quality, like an eroded wall. Look at the top right corner and how the layering of marks almost resembles tree bark or stacked sediment, and how this then contrasts with the flat areas of red in the background. The eye skips between foreground and background, solid and void, creating a sense of dynamic tension. For me, the print has a quality similar to that of Francesco Clemente's watercolors, who is another artist interested in blending personal and art historical symbols with a sensuous approach to materials. Ultimately, Kokolia’s print reminds us that art is not about answers but about keeping the conversation going.