30 Rose Bushes 2018

Curator: Here we have "30 Rose Bushes," an ink drawing on paper created in 2018 by Alevtyna Kakhidze. Editor: My immediate impression is of a private language, a visual diary. The rough quality of the lines and composition gives it a candid, almost secretive feel. Curator: It does seem deeply personal, resembling pages from a sketchbook. The composition is divided. On the left, we see what appears to be a figure standing in a doorway, or perhaps framed by a stark interior. On the right, a numbered series of what we assume are the titular rose bushes. Editor: Precisely. And the contrast between the rudimentary depiction of the figure versus the ordered catalog of rose bushes is compelling. Semiotically, the figure could symbolize introspection, observation – someone set apart. While the roses, systematically labeled, become stand-ins, each with individual identity. Curator: It’s interesting to consider how these images work together, isn't it? Perhaps the rose bushes are representative of the artist’s emotional landscape. We tend to associate roses with romantic love, but their thorns represent struggle and suffering. Their sheer abundance numbered as such creates a sense of time measured, remembered experiences noted for their thorns and perhaps beauty. Editor: That interplay of light and dark is so vivid; it reinforces the raw, immediate quality of the medium. Curator: Looking more closely at the text… I think it adds a vital narrative layer. It gives these symbolic forms context within the cultural space of language and shared meaning. The cultural continuity relies on a careful translation of not only meaning, but a history of associations within the Ukrainian-Russian space. Editor: Absolutely. Kakhidze presents not only art, but language and the evolution of form, line and figure on paper. This is thinking made visible. Thank you for pointing out the cultural aspects here. Curator: The more we linger, the more it reveals of the inner world that created them. Editor: Indeed; a valuable synthesis.