Untitled 2022

Editor: Here we have Alevtyna Kakhidze's "Untitled" from 2022, rendered in ink on paper. It's a sketchbook spread, with two figures facing each other amidst handwritten text. There’s something very raw and immediate about it. What do you see in this piece? Curator: This work speaks volumes about the artist's engagement with the political and social realities of her time. The handwritten text surrounding the figures becomes integral to the drawing. Are you able to decipher the text? What do you think its relationship is to the images? Editor: I believe it’s in Ukrainian. I can see the phrase "mova nenavysti", which I think translates to "hate speech" near the figure on the left with the distinctive glasses. The figure on the right seems to be surrounded by longer blocks of text. Curator: Exactly. Considering Kakhidze’s background as a Ukrainian artist, particularly in the context of ongoing geopolitical conflicts, we can view this piece as a powerful commentary on the psychological impact of violence and oppression and the proliferation of hateful rhetoric in society. How does the artist use simple line drawings to convey a feeling? Editor: It's interesting how she’s using a seemingly simple, almost childlike style. It feels both vulnerable and direct somehow. Maybe that rawness you mentioned comes from this unfiltered expression? Curator: Precisely. The starkness emphasizes the immediacy and personal nature of the work. What if that childlike simplicity helps cut through the complexity? Is it about simplifying communication during times of great political challenge? Editor: I hadn't thought of that. Now it gives me a new appreciation for her work. Thanks for offering such a different reading! Curator: My pleasure. Seeing art this way reminds us to engage critically with the messages artists are sending in politically fraught moments.