Untitled 2022

This untitled drawing by Alevtyna Kakhidze seems to have been dashed off with felt tip pens, a yellow one and a black one. I love the immediacy of these materials, the way they allow for a kind of raw, unfiltered expression. The lines are confident and unhesitating, creating a sense of playful energy. The figure has an odd crown, an oil can and a weapon, these are all drawn with the same weight of line as the balloon, a balloon that seems to carry the weight of the world. It reminds me a bit of Philip Guston's later work, where he embraced a kind of cartoonish figuration to grapple with serious political and personal themes. This piece too, seems to embrace ambiguity, inviting us to bring our own associations and interpretations to the table. Ultimately, it is a reminder that art doesn't have to be polished or perfect to be powerful.