Untitled. Srawberry Andreevna 2018

Curator: This is "Untitled. Strawberry Andreevna," an ink drawing on paper and textile created by Alevtyna Kakhidze in 2018. The stark simplicity has an arresting quality, doesn't it? Editor: Yes, I find the crude drawing style intriguing and slightly unsettling. There's this figure standing by the outline of a building, and all these handwritten notes scattered around, almost like fragments of thought. What exactly am I looking at here? Curator: I see it as a direct product of its environment. The choice of simple, readily available materials – ink, paper, and potentially found textiles – speaks to resourcefulness. Look at the raw quality of the lines. What do you notice about the handwriting? Editor: Some of the text appears to reference place names and phone services. Ukraine is mentioned at the top, while some of the red text appears to refer to Donetsk People's Republic "DNR", and there's mention of the GSM communications project. Curator: Precisely! Kakhidze, working in a region impacted by conflict, is responding to the limitations and the specifics of her reality. The text isn’t just descriptive, it's almost a catalog of necessary infrastructures under specific material and social conditions. Consider "Phoenix," for instance. How might the function of such communications become transformed within the setting depicted? Editor: So it's less about aesthetic beauty and more about… bearing witness through accessible means? The drawing itself is like a practical record? Curator: It's both! By elevating the everyday materials and sketching to art, she blurs the boundaries between documenting reality and creating art from its resources, which forces us to think about art production and distribution under geopolitical challenges. It reflects on accessibility, ingenuity and the making of art. Editor: I never thought about considering those challenges as creative generators in and of themselves. Curator: Indeed. I learned something from you pointing out all of the communications projects and locations. All are relevant to the situation. Editor: Absolutely! This really broadens my perspective on art beyond just the visual. Thank you!