Exlibris of S.Darky 1976

This is Oleksandr Aksinin’s ‘Exlibris of S.Darky’, an etching made in 1976. The graphic approach, with those meticulous lines and stippling, really emphasizes the labor involved; you can see the artist working through each tiny mark. It has a very particular materiality – the density of the marks creates a tactile quality, like a rough surface you could run your fingers over, and contributes to the image's emotional weight, almost claustrophobic. Check out that central cascade of dots transforming into a pile of rats, the way they're so densely packed. Those little rodents are the focal point, anchoring the whole composition! Aksinin reminds me of Alfred Kubin, another artist who embraced the macabre and fantastical. Both explore the darker sides of the imagination, using meticulous detail to create worlds that are both unsettling and strangely beautiful. Ultimately, ‘Exlibris of S.Darky’ is a reminder that art thrives on ambiguity; it's a space where multiple interpretations can coexist and spark new dialogues.