Untitled 2022

Alevtyna Kakhidze made this ink drawing on paper sometime around 2022, and at first glance, its simplicity is really striking. The marks are casual, but purposeful. There's a tension between the lightness of the lines and the weight of the subject matter, which I think creates a certain mood. The flags are so small and delicate, but they mark something really heavy. The text, I think is Ukranian, sits above the image with a feeling of hope. The flags form a line between the words 'past' and 'future' and create a sense of progression. The figure is so calm, almost passive, despite the storm he is in the middle of. This drawing reminds me a bit of some of Philip Guston's later work, where he used simple shapes and lines to convey complex emotions. What I love about this piece is how it embraces ambiguity, leaving space for multiple interpretations.