Lifted 2015

Curator: Timur Akhriev’s “Lifted,” an acrylic on canvas created in 2015, presents us with a captivating portrait. Editor: My initial impression is one of melancholy, or maybe introspection. The somber tones, especially those blues and purples, create a heavy, almost suffocating atmosphere, but then the figure seems serene... how curious. Curator: I agree. Akhriev uses neo-expressionist techniques to convey powerful emotions. Consider the subject’s pose, hands clasped close to the chest, seemingly cocooned or protected. This posture, combined with the surrounding shapes, evokes a feeling of vulnerability and transformation. Perhaps the title itself hints at ascension— lifting burdens or constraints imposed by external forces. Editor: The medium feels significant here. The texture achieved with acrylic, those visible brushstrokes and layering of paint, contributes to a sense of raw emotionality. It's almost as if the act of painting itself, the application of the materials, becomes part of the narrative. It's visceral, this work makes me think about physical labour and art production's dependency on that labour. Curator: Absolutely, and we can't ignore the symbolism present in the surrounding shapes that feel both like water and wings or leaves: the intersectional themes of identity, isolation, and self-discovery are so strong. Are they representative of fluidity, transition, perhaps an evolving gender identity that defies categorization, emerging from or descending into fluidity? Editor: It's fascinating how you read into this painting using intersectional theory; for me it's interesting how those wings almost weigh down the central figure and confine their identity instead of helping to "lift" them. Curator: Interesting counterpoint! But even so, consider how the artist’s palette of predominantly cool tones affects our understanding. What emotions might Akhriev have sought to provoke with that choice? Does that change your feelings toward it at all? Editor: In retrospect, I realize I hadn't considered the composition in relation to this… Akhriev has prompted new perspectives that come down to materiality within production; perhaps these two are related and dependent on each other, identity-wise. Thanks for pointing this out. Curator: It's artworks like these that remind us of the potency that art holds in exploring the complexity of our individual and collective realities, as seen in these technical art pieces that depend so heavily on what makes a painting “painting.” Editor: Absolutely. I walk away thinking differently now.