Untitled 2006

Alexander Roitburd made this untitled drawing with a blue pen, and it feels like he was thinking out loud. The hatching marks that make up the background are really energetic and frantic, which gives a sense of a scene overflowing with life and energy. The drawing has this blue hue that makes it feel both familiar and otherworldly, a bit like the dreamlike quality of Yves Tanguy, with a nod to the surreal and the subconscious. I love how the details emerge from this background, especially the hen and the mushroom. The hen stands still, a grounded contrast to the frenetic marks around it. I wonder what that mushroom is doing there? This drawing is a conversation starter. Roitburd is asking us to look at the world in a new way, where things aren’t always what they seem. It’s less about answers and more about embracing the questions, and the endless possibilities that art can open up.