Russian Parliament. Drawn 17.02.2022 2022

Editor: This is "Russian Parliament. Drawn 17.02.2022," a 2022 ink drawing on paper by Alevtyna Kakhidze. It has the candid, diaristic feel of a sketchbook, almost like visual note-taking. How do you interpret this work purely from a visual standpoint? Curator: Note the juxtaposition of stark lines and open spaces. Observe how the black ink creates strong figural elements against the white page. The artist's choice of medium emphasizes immediacy and unfiltered expression. See how these contrasts in weight and scale pull you around the picture plane. What message do you think Kakhidze creates by arranging them this way? Editor: The sparseness is striking, and the scale seems to shift, some things tiny, others prominent. Is this disorienting composition a reflection of instability or uncertainty, using abstraction as an analogy? Curator: Perhaps. Focus on the formal qualities. The restricted palette creates a sense of uniformity and control, countered by the apparent freedom of the hand-drawn lines. The almost cartoonish imagery hints at layers of deeper meanings and possibly socio-political references through abstraction, using simplified forms. Editor: So the structure—or deconstruction—is part of the point. The simple shapes become impactful, hinting at complex realities through careful artistic choices. Curator: Precisely. The visual language she employs, such as, lines, shapes, forms, are strategically combined to offer the viewer entry to a network of implied significations. Ultimately, art becomes a play of signifiers. Editor: That emphasis on how an image is constructed as key to deciphering it all makes a lot of sense now! Curator: Indeed. By prioritizing visual elements over subject, one achieves, paradoxically, deeper insight into the context as well.