v 2019

Editor: This is "v", a 2019 ink drawing on paper by Alevtyna Kakhidze. It's playful and raw, like a glimpse into someone's sketchbook. What stories do you think it's trying to tell? Curator: Oh, it's absolutely delicious in its vulnerability, isn't it? This work vibrates with a unique, almost painfully direct honesty. Kakhidze uses this deceptively simple cartoonish style to lay bare anxieties about bureaucracy, Ukrainian politics, even mortality, perhaps? The raw line work almost feels like a direct connection to the artist's subconscious, like the thoughts tumbled right onto the page. Do you get a sense of unease from it as well? Editor: Definitely. Even though the figures seem simple, they convey a lot of emotion. I'm curious about the text scattered around – is that common in her work? Curator: Kakhidze often incorporates text, snippets of conversation, political slogans… think of it as the chorus in a strange, melancholic song. It gives context, sure, but also amplifies the overall emotional dissonance, that weird, off-kilter feeling of the piece. Editor: I see. It's like she's creating her own visual language to process the world around her. Curator: Precisely! And in doing so, inviting us into that process, however uncomfortable it may be. Don't you just adore how brave she is? It reminds me that art, at its core, is an act of radical empathy. Editor: That makes me appreciate the piece even more. I went in thinking it was just a quirky drawing, but now I see layers of personal and political commentary. Curator: Exactly. Art's like a shy friend; it takes a little coaxing to reveal its best stories.