Elena Pankova

Potentially, a blank piece of paper is a simple, boring, everyday object; all qualities that attracted Pankova in wanting a subject to paint that would be devoid of expression. Then that same subject has been painted repeatedly to see how far it could be taken. The aim of each painting is to preserve the integrity of the object, avoiding any emphasis of feelings or details or technical skills. They are painted with black and white paint; there are no other colours involved. Not that the paintings are done without a care, on the contrary. There are brush strokes and even some signs of impatience or different moods. These things happen and they are welcomed by the artist.

Papers filled with scribbles, balled-up and thrown on the floor are a part of the typical portrayal of a frustrated genius working through an artistic block. In Pankova’s case there is a denial of genius – the papers are blank. However, the paper is not entirely unmarked, with each piece patterned by variable folds and crumple marks which in themselves become a kind of language.

The inclusion of the three abstract paintings with their expeditious marks and expressive gestures interrupt the possibility of any ensuing lassitude, and act in a directly complementary way, being in effect the content that has been so assiduously avoided in the paper paintings. The two plain indoor plants appear somewhat as a complete non sequitur, though they do suggest a fragile kind of vitality, nudging the exhibition into a realm beyond simple acts of representation and abstraction.