Africa 1981

Tihamer Gyarmathy made this painting, Africa, with a highly unique approach to applying paint, like a pixilated dreamscape. The surface is built from countless small, rectangular marks, each a delicate deposit of colour. Up close, it's a mosaic; from a distance, a hazy scene emerges. I love how the materiality of the paint remains so present, those little squares almost create a kind of optical shimmering, that is just beautiful. The colours blend into each other, giving an impression of a landscape or memory. See that little circle of ochre in the top corner, like a faraway sun? It anchors the piece, pulling together the blues and yellows. Gyarmathy’s work reminds me a bit of Agnes Martin, in the way they share this soft, dreamy minimalism, this sense of art as something felt, not just seen. It's a way of thinking about painting as something that unfolds, rather than something fixed.