Untitled 2022

Alevtyna Kakhidze made this untitled drawing with what looks like a marker pen and maybe some colored pencil for the candle flame, on paper. The artist's hand is clearly present in the directness of the line and the starkness of the composition. You get the feeling that they are working through something in real time. It feels immediate, alive, and unpretentious. I love the way the name of the writer Dostoevesky is written on the figure's sleeve. It's as if they are wearing their influences right there on their sleeve, or perhaps the figure is wearing Dostoevesky. I'm reminded a little bit of the work of Mike Kelley, particularly his drawings, in the directness and the slightly outsider quality, though maybe with a touch more tenderness. This piece shows that art is a way of thinking, feeling, and processing the world. It doesn't need to be perfect, just honest.