Euromaidan 2014

Editor: This is Alevtyna Kakhidze’s drawing, *Euromaidan*, made in 2014 with ink. It's quite abstract, almost like a bird's-eye view of… something chaotic. It seems to capture a sense of upheaval and dismantling. How do you interpret this work, considering the context of the Euromaidan revolution? Curator: The "Euromaidan" drawing immediately reads to me as a cartography of protest. Think of it as a subjective map charting the physical and emotional terrain of a revolution. Kakhidze isn't just depicting space; she's capturing the sociopolitical energies that were fundamentally reshaping Ukrainian identity and geopolitics at that moment. How might we read the 'thin linework', not merely as an aesthetic choice, but as an allusion to the fragility of democratic structures in the face of authoritarian power? Editor: So, the style itself embodies a kind of vulnerability? I hadn't considered that. The sparseness feels significant now. Curator: Exactly! And notice how abstraction dominates over concrete representation. Kakhidze is resisting a singular narrative. The power dynamics are shifting. Who gets to define the image of the nation, the terms of belonging? Editor: That makes me rethink the title now as almost ironic. It’s not *of* Euromaidan, it's *about* the questions Euromaidan raised. Curator: Precisely. This work reminds us that art is never neutral; it's deeply embedded within historical processes and power struggles, asking us to confront uncomfortable truths about identity, nationhood, and resistance. Editor: I'll definitely carry this layered understanding with me. Thanks! Curator: The pleasure was mine! It has sparked a deeper thinking about art and revolution for me as well.