Triptych 2014

Małgorzata Serwatka made this large Triptych with oil paint. It’s like she laid out these three panels and then set about the task of conjuring up a whole world on each one. The figures! Aren't they amazing? Two lovers in the green panel, they're all caught up in each other. And then, over on the right, two figures struggling together, maybe pushing each other up. The paint feels thick and heavy, it clings to the surface and forms these really luscious, tactile shapes. Each panel has a different feel but there is a formal unity, each of the paintings using a similar approach to representing the human figure. What’s so interesting about this painting is the ambiguity, it's not telling us one single story. In a way, it’s like Francis Bacon, or maybe Paula Rego, the way Serwatka embraces this uncomfortable feeling. The painting presents a space where we can wander and wonder, rather than simply observe.