Untitled 2013

Sun Mu made this painting, Untitled, with what looks like acrylic on canvas and boy, it’s got a flat, graphic punch. The solid pink background sets off this kid giving Pluto a squeeze, and there are these cartoony flowers off to the side. Now, what gets me going is how clean the edges are, like cut paper. There is no messing around here, but there’s also this naive quality, the colours slightly off, the shapes kinda wonky. It’s like a dream, both perfect and totally weird. Check out Pluto's eyes, for example, one eye bigger than the other, that’s no mistake. It's about feeling, not getting it right. This tension makes me think of Phillip Guston, another artist who embraced the so-called "bad" and the raw. And that's what makes it so good. It's a reminder that art doesn't have to be slick to be powerful.