Morning. Drawn on 16.02.2022 in the Morning 2022

Alevtyna Kakhidze drew this image on the morning of February 16, 2022, with what looks like ink or marker on paper. It feels immediate, like a thought sketched right as it comes into her head. The drawing's directness is something I really connect with, especially the wobbly quality of the lines around the protest signs, which read “Snow”, “No War” and “War”. The signs themselves are wonky, but their message is clear and powerful. The texture feels raw and unfiltered, mirroring the urgency of the message, and creating this interesting mix of intimacy and political commentary. I keep coming back to the figure's boots— the only truly solid, dark part of the drawing. They plant her firmly on the ground and give a sense of quiet resistance, even while everything else feels fragile. You might compare this to the work of someone like Nicole Eisenman, who similarly combines the personal with the political in her drawings, or maybe even call to mind some of the graphic directness of early Käthe Kollwitz prints. Artmaking is always about being in dialogue with the past, as well as with the present.