Exlibris of Oleksiy Itutin 1978

Oleksandr Aksinin made this exlibris of Oleksiy Itutin using ink on paper. The detail in this print is quite something! I’m interested in the way the process reveals itself; it’s so clearly made of many tiny marks, little lines and dots, and they all add up to this odd scene. The texture of the piece is intense, from the scribbled background to the tightly wound springs that radiate out behind the central structure. The overall impression is kind of dreamlike, like looking into someone else's imagination. Especially with that figure floating above the machine. The way the ink is applied gives everything a slightly rough, almost anxious feel. The whole thing reminds me a bit of Alfred Kubin's dark, fantastical illustrations, full of symbolism and personal mythology. But there's also a playfulness here, a sense that Aksinin is inviting us to piece together the puzzle, without ever quite solving it.