Untitled 

Editor: Here we have an untitled acrylic painting, presumably by Hannibal Alkhas. It’s… well, it's pretty intense. A lot of figures, many in apparent mourning against this stark red backdrop. What do you see in this piece? What strikes you most? Curator: Well, its rawness certainly leaps out, doesn’t it? Like a scream rendered in paint. The red is undoubtedly the star here – not just color, but raw emotion, pain made visible. And that skeletal figure being carried? It’s not just death, it's the theft of life. Look how the figures' faces blur, almost distorted by grief. Almost makes you want to look away, doesn't it? Editor: It really does. All that intense color and emotion. Is it some kind of history painting, maybe depicting a specific tragic event? Curator: Perhaps, or maybe it’s about all tragic events, all stolen lives. Alkhas seems to have wanted to capture something elemental about suffering itself. What do you think about the stylized funeral procession stretching into the background? Almost feels artificial against the emotionality in the front. Editor: That’s true. I hadn’t really focused on that, more drawn to the visceral emotions of the figures in the foreground. Maybe that distance provides some necessary contrast, so that you can breath. Curator: Perhaps. An image filled with echoes, challenging us to confront what we’d rather avoid. That is why I find Alkhas’ work unforgettable: in this, his visual language, always bold, always personal, he speaks directly to the soul. Editor: I’ll certainly see this in a new light after this conversation. The raw pain combined with the strangely detached background makes it more complex, and memorable.