Operation of Operation 1983

Oleksandr Aksinin made this painting, Operation of Operation, with an intricate graphic style and surreal, symbolic content. I can imagine Aksinin building up layers, letting the image emerge slowly with a meticulous hand. The surface is smooth and glossy, the colors flat and contained within sharp outlines, like stained glass. The palette revolves around strong reds and greens, which creates a kind of visual vibration, and everything feels precise, like a machine. This precision gives it a kind of cool, eerie feeling, maybe something like alienation? The diamond shape and concentric circles recall targets or diagrams, which gives the work an air of mystery, as if it contains some hidden knowledge or coded message. Aksinin's fellow Ukranian artist, Jacques Hnizdovsky, also had a penchant for using geometric and abstracted forms. Painting can take us to unexpected places, and invite different ways of seeing and thinking about the world, and the conversations they have with each other through their art.