Body Painting (White on Black) 2005

Abie Loy Kemarre’s painting, in black and white, maps a whole universe of marks into a complex field. I can imagine her making it—the focus, the tiny adjustments to the line—a constant back and forth that builds and builds. There's something so great about committing to a simple palette; it’s not about what colours to use, but how the shapes and lines can be so expressive. It's all about that relationship between dark and light and how the eye moves through the canvas, always finding something new. The white lines remind me of Agnes Martin's grids but also Cy Twombly's scribbles – the way a simple gesture, repeated, can create a powerful, emotional field. It's almost like the painting is breathing. And that’s what painting is all about, isn’t it? One artist conversing with another across time, picking up the thread and weaving their own story into it.