Untitled 2022

Here, Alevtyna Kakhidze presents us with a poignant drawing rendered with simple lines, rich with contemporary anxieties. The figures, with their raised hands, recall gestures of supplication, or perhaps, desperate questioning. This motif echoes across centuries, from religious iconography to modern expressions of distress. Consider how the raised hand appears in ancient Egyptian art, symbolizing prayer, or in Renaissance paintings depicting moments of revelation or agony. The teacups, seemingly innocuous, become symbols of a disrupted peace. One even bears the colors of the Russian flag. These symbols of domesticity are subverted, transformed into emblems of sorrow and forced deprivation. They evoke a sense of loss. The artist writes that she hasn't been able to eat “this type of thing” since February 24, 2022, the day Russia invaded Ukraine. Food becomes a symbol of unbearable loss, a powerful force engaging viewers on a deep, subconscious level. Thus, Kakhidze's work underscores the cyclical return and evolution of visual symbols. It is a testament to how motifs resurface, carrying echoes of past emotions into our present understanding.