Fire 1981

Oleksandr Aksinin made this artwork titled "Fire", using paper and mixed media. I'm immediately drawn to the interplay between the fiery reds and the stark, graphic black. The textures are amazing. I can imagine Aksinin carefully building up the dense patterns of tiny marks to construct the red shapes that surround a black void. I think of him thinking about how to create an inferno, perhaps from memory? There's a quiet, contemplative quality in the mechanical drawing at its centre. The more you look, the more you imagine Aksinin to be asking if fire is destructive or cleansing, dangerous or life-giving? Aksinin's work reminds me of the dreamlike imagery of other artists such as Paul Klee who create these intricate and strange worlds that are not quite real but feel deeply familiar. It shows how artists build on the past and create something new.