Liberate 

Editor: So, this is "Liberate," a print by the Kukryniksy, done with graphite and other drawing media. It's stark, kind of disturbing… that poor woman pulling a cart with bound children, driven by a soldier. What's your take on it? What jumps out at you? Curator: Well, that single word command, “OSVOBODI!”, towering above the scene. Irony drips from it, doesn't it? Look at the angle of the woman's head. To me, it’s not just pain, but accusation, a silent scream aimed right at us, the viewers. What is freedom, if it requires such inhumanity? The artist collective captured a disturbing, dark humor here; are we sure that it's about liberation, or the *perversion* of it? Editor: That’s interesting, I hadn’t considered the sarcasm of the text so much. I was more focused on the immediate horror. What about the composition? Is there a reason why they’re staged like that, woman at the front? Curator: It makes me think about traditional images of labour – but twisted. She’s like a beast of burden, juxtaposed with the modern war machine the soldier embodies, even the texture amplifies that sentiment. All that contrasted with the pure innocence represented by the child bound in the back, a chilling effect indeed! Perhaps it’s also worth considering: what would happen if the woman just stopped? What power lies in that quiet act of resistance? Editor: I never would have considered all those different layers if you hadn't mentioned them. Now the whole image feels different. Curator: Art has that effect, doesn't it? It worms its way in, lingering long after you’ve walked away, leaving you questioning and feeling, not unlike this powerful print. Editor: Definitely given me something to think about. Thanks.