Untitled 2022

Alevtyna Kakhidze made this untitled drawing with pens or markers in a sketchbook. It’s a process-driven piece, you can almost see her thinking as she draws. The marks are really direct and unpretentious. The lines are kind of wobbly, but also certain, you know? In the bottom left, there's this little trash can with yellow zig zags coming out of it, like a burst of nervous energy or maybe some kind of waste product? It’s drawn in such a simple way, but it's also full of complexity and feeling. I find this particularly moving given the circumstances in Ukraine when I presume this was made. You can see the artist working through something, trying to make sense of these figures laboring under flags and this other solitary figure on the right. This kind of work is part of a long tradition, going all the way back to Goya, of artists who use simple means to address the politics of their time. It reminds us that art doesn't have to be slick or polished to be powerful.