Having seen a few isolated works by Kovats, it was a pleasure to be able to see a solo exhibition of drawings, sculpture, installations and large-scale time-based projects that explore our experience and understanding of the natural world. Kovats‘ enduring themes are the experience and understanding of landscape, geological processes, patterns of growth and the intersection of landscape, nature and culture and how art can speak to our critical climate crisis. This exhibition focusses on drawing, which has a central role in her practice.
Kovats exhibits new works from her ongoing series of Sea Marks, meditative drawings depicting expansive seascapes made with simple, repeated brushstrokes that travel towards the horizon alongside new works made with cobalt blue glazes on ceramic tiles.
They are contrasted with two older works, All the Islands of All the Seas (2016) and All the Islands of The Arctic Circle (2014) which are possibly my favourite works here – I particularly like the idea of making a large work out of a collection of smaller works.
The exhibition also includes a new group of drawings relating to the phases of the moon. Full Moon (2023) is a multi-part drawing recording all the full moons in a year (in 2023 there are 13); Wolf Moon, Worm Moon, Hunter’s Moon, Pink Moon etc. plus a Blue Moon. We are reminded that the moon dictates the planet’s tides and forms a primal or elemental rhythm. Kovats’ work is often concerned with the passing of time. Also shown is Luna (2023), a 28-part drawing depicting the phases of the moon across a lunar month.
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