Visual Development - M-SHA 1984

Oleksandr Aksinin made this diptych, “Visual Development - M-SHA”, by combining photography and drawing on paper. Look how the stark monochrome of the photograph contrasts with the simple, almost childlike, lines of the drawing. The photograph captures a figure huddled in a corner, the texture of the wall and floorboards palpable. It feels raw, immediate. The facing panel is stark and bare, punctuated by simple lines and shapes that echo elements of the photograph. Notice the 'buttons' floating in space, mirroring the figure's form, or the hanging tendrils that mimic the shadows above. It's like a map of the psyche. Aksinin reminds me of Paul Klee, who also had this knack for blending the profound with the playfully simple. This piece isn't about answers; it's about the questions, the ongoing conversation between seeing and feeling, reality and representation, that makes art so endlessly fascinating.