The War of Big Endians with Little Endians. Gulliver 1975

Editor: Oleksandr Aksinin's "The War of Big Endians with Little Endians. Gulliver," made in 1975 using mixed media – it’s a powerful collage and print combination. It gives me a really uneasy feeling, with the strong contrast of red and black. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Well, immediately the title jumps out, evoking Swift's Gulliver's Travels. And knowing Aksinin was working in Soviet Ukraine, this is less about travel, and more about ideological conflict – the Big Endians and Little Endians, literally about which end of an egg to break, becoming a symbol of profound division. Editor: So, the title gives a key? I see the repeated motifs... the squares feel confining. And the red shapes, they're like lava or blood... Curator: Exactly. The geometric shapes, almost cubist, create a sense of rigid structure, perhaps representing the oppressive systems Aksinin was experiencing. The red is powerful; does it speak of violence to you? Passion? Or even, perhaps, revolution? Look at how it flows, seemingly unrestrained, almost organic, against those sharp lines. Do you notice any other symbols emerging? Editor: Now that you point it out, the figures in the bottom corners are intriguing. Are they the 'Big Endians' and 'Little Endians'? They seem burdened…almost…dwarfed? Curator: Consider the egg they carry. Eggs are a symbol of fertility, hope and the new beginning, though each figure supports it wearily. Perhaps Aksinin shows here the price the individual pay within these "wars"? Editor: So, the painting speaks to these divisions…but on a much deeper level of conflict within Soviet Ukraine. This piece has many complex symbols to explore and connect. Curator: Indeed. Art often becomes a vessel for these deeper cultural anxieties and experiences. It remains resonant because that story continues today, globally.