Self Portrait 2008

Editor: So here we have Alexander Roitburd's "Self Portrait," created in 2008, using oil paint. The impasto is really intense. There's a palpable sense of… defiance, maybe? What strikes you when you look at this piece? Curator: Defiance, yes, but I see a complex defiance. Look at the cigar smoke—it’s a performative act of self-assurance, but it also speaks to the privileges associated with that self-assurance, especially for an artist working in post-Soviet spaces. What kind of power dynamics might this portrait be enacting? Editor: That’s interesting, I hadn’t considered that. It seemed more like a personal statement than a commentary on societal power structures. The context is something I hadn’t deeply thought about. Curator: Exactly! Consider the male gaze in self-portraiture, the swagger. Roitburd, as a figure within Ukrainian art, is also engaging with and perhaps subverting expectations. He presents himself, but what is he telling us about Ukrainian identity? How might class be performed or challenged through attire, and his smoking? What might that cigar symbolize? Editor: It almost feels… intentionally provocative. Like he’s challenging us to judge him. The green and red color scheme behind the black business suit feels like that tension as well, like two conflicting sides fighting for dominance. Curator: Precisely. It's not just about *him* but about the context that created the image *of* him. This goes beyond brushstrokes, technique, and color; he's speaking of social position. The impasto becomes almost like scars, testaments to a life lived within those complicated systems. Editor: I’m starting to see it now. The painting becomes a space to unpack larger questions about identity and agency. Curator: And to engage with the power dynamics present then, and even now. It is about making the viewer consider the privileges involved when such a pose, gaze, or attire is performed. Editor: Thank you; I’ll definitely keep that in mind when I look at art from now on!