Dan’s Papers
Feb. 1, 2023
By David Taylor
Mark Miller Discusses HEKTAD
How is this week’s cover art, HEKTAD’s “FOREVER” (2022), representative of the artistic voice found in HEKTAD’s other recent works?
A symbolic image in HEKTAD’s work is the heart. The hearts in his paintings are multi-color and set to certain shapes and patterns. The hearts in the “FOREVER” piece — a title implying commitment into a heavenly infinity — sprout out like a spring harvest and prepare to spring forth and fly, evoking flowers, birds and butterflies. These get to the theme of rebirth and renewal emblematic of HEKTAD’s work and the post-pandemic lockdown tone I pursued when reopening the gallery.
HEKTAD himself has said he paints hearts not for himself, but for the people who are missing love in their lives, looking for love or who have lost love.
What does HEKTAD’s creative process look like when creating pieces such as “FOREVER” (2020)?
HEKTAD’s creative process is very spontaneous; he doesn’t normally plan the work out in advance. It develops on the canvas according to his moods and feelings on that day. For example, when he was creating “FOREVER,” he was feeling warmth and hence the red background. Then came the hearts within a larger heart to signify his positive message of spreading more love.
“When New York was emerging from COVID in December 2021, I decided to ask HEKTAD to bring his colorful work to the gallery in order to set a tone of post-lockdown renewal through the art’s uplifting themes of love and affirmation in order to elevate the spirits of local residents and visitors of the gallery.
Mark Miller
I received a wonderfully enthusiastic response from the patrons of the gallery and the local residents who passed by.”
