Exlibris of Zenovy Kushnir 1978

Oleksandr Aksinin made this etching, Exlibris of Zenovy Kushnir, in 1978, and you know, I think it’s kind of kooky and great! The scene looks like a bizarre tea party, or maybe a meeting of some secret society; there’s an all-seeing eye lamp hovering above a striped table set with plates, and these strange birdcage-microphone figures are all lined up. What could he have been thinking? I love the cross-hatching and the way Aksinin uses the etching technique to create all these textures and patterns. I can imagine him carefully scratching away at the plate, building up these layers of lines to create a sense of depth and shadow. It reminds me a little of Piranesi’s architectural fantasies, or maybe some of Klee’s more whimsical works. It’s like Aksinin is inviting us into his own personal world. Artists have always played with these kinds of symbols and images, borrowing and riffing off each other across time. It’s a conversation that never ends, and Aksinin definitely had something to add to the mix.