Ukrainian Alphabet 2011

Pavlo Makov created the Ukrainian Alphabet using etching. The printmaking process lends itself to a unique combination of precision and accident. Look closely, and you'll see the individual marks which make up the image. The matrix of cells which make up the work is printed with a consistent gray ink; each holds a character, defined by thin red lines which seem to represent the contents of the cell. These boxes, organized like elements in a periodic table, perhaps speak to a desire for order and legibility. But the title suggests a more profound meaning, which is that the artist is presenting the very building blocks of communication, and therefore of cultural identity. Makov makes us aware of the labor that is required to produce imagery, and, by extension, the effort required to forge a national consciousness. In this way, the work can be seen as both a celebration of Ukrainian identity and a reminder of its fragility.