Revelation 2016

Timur Akhriev made this painting of a figure holding a mask, its surfaces built up from these beautiful, textural brushstrokes. There’s something so engaging about the way Akhriev handles the paint, right? He’s not trying to hide the process. You can see every stroke, every decision. It’s like he's building the image right in front of you. The mask is all golds and browns, thick and shiny, and it hides part of the face. The uncovered part of the face is soft pinks and blues, the eye so full of life. I am drawn to the contrast between the textures of the mask and the face. It’s the difference between something man-made and something alive. This feels like a close cousin to the work of someone like Paula Rego. It isn’t about perfection, it's about the layers, the mess, the emotional truth that comes from embracing the act of making. The painting is both a window and a mirror, asking us to consider what we reveal and what we conceal.