Untitled. Srawberry Andreevna 2016

Curator: Here we have Alevtyna Kakhidze's 2016 drawing, "Untitled. Strawberry Andreevna." It’s rendered in ink on paper. What’s your initial read? Editor: Strikingly raw. The sketch-like quality of the line work, almost frantic in places, evokes a sense of unease. The white space emphasizes a certain sparseness or isolation, wouldn’t you say? Curator: Definitely. Knowing Kakhidze’s background, it’s difficult not to see this through the lens of geopolitical conflict. She’s engaging with themes of displacement, memory, and the everyday violence that shapes lived experience in Ukraine. The work shows almost childlike sketches paired with handwritten labels of the neighborhood. This immediately made me think of themes relating to personal history and cultural disruption, with an intimate topography rendered with jarring juxtapositions of text and image. Editor: I see your point about displacement— the spatial arrangement is fascinating. The houses seem disconnected, floating on the paper, with lines haphazardly converging, creating tension and ambiguity. Curator: It’s a cartography of trauma. The written annotations detailing the address, a "killed woman," homeless dogs—these are fragments of a shattered reality. The domestic sphere is infiltrated by external dangers, marking a loss of innocence and security. Editor: Interesting point! While the fragmented elements add visual intrigue, there's something aesthetically unresolved that distracts me. A refined composition would significantly enhance the intended impact. Curator: But the intentional roughness, even the apparent awkwardness, is the point. It's an articulation of the unpolished realities, the unprocessed grief and persistent anxiety. The charm and appeal rests within its subtle nuance to tell difficult histories that demand complex modes of interpretation. Editor: Fair enough. It undeniably captures a powerful narrative beyond the formal arrangement of lines and text on paper. Thank you for that reading. Curator: Thanks to you as well, for your formalist angle which allows a balanced discussion! It’s an image that continues to provoke thought, inviting consideration of both form and content.