Thinking About Immanuel Kant on 26.02.2022 2022

Alevtyna Kakhidze made this drawing in Ukraine, on February 26th, 2022. It’s rendered with sparse, almost shaky lines, and the date is inscribed right there at the bottom of the image, anchoring it to a specific moment in time. I can imagine the artist drawing this, processing the unfolding events, trying to find some sense in the midst of chaos. There's the artist with arms outstretched, confronting the philosopher Immanuel Kant, who dangles a 'Guarantee of Perpetual Peace.' In the context of war, it feels like a cruel joke, doesn’t it? Like a taunt from history. The raw simplicity of the lines reminds me of other artists like William Kentridge who use drawing as a form of immediate, urgent expression, grappling with political and social realities. This piece feels like a visual diary entry, a snapshot of a mind trying to reconcile the ideal with the real. The very act of making it is a way of making sense of the world. And that’s what art can do, you know?