Untitled 2022

Alevtyna Kakhidze made this untitled drawing using what looks like felt tip pens, maybe markers, on paper. The whole thing feels immediate, like it came straight from the head through the hand. Look at the creature in the middle, part snake, part hydra, a many headed beast spitting either money or fire, or both? I love the nervous energy in the lines, the way they don’t quite meet, suggesting movement and instability. The color palette is simple, mostly black and white with touches of green, blue, red, and yellow, giving a sense of urgency, like a news bulletin. Down at the bottom, the phrase "Cancel Russian Culture is Medicine" is so loaded, suggesting that art can be both a weapon and a cure. It reminds me a bit of Nancy Spero's protest drawings, raw and direct, using figuration and text to make a point, but it also leaves space for doubt. It’s a conversation starter, not a final word, and that’s what makes it so compelling.