To I.Kabakov 1981

Editor: Here we have Oleksandr Aksinin’s “To I. Kabakov” from 1981, a print in graphic art. It's making me think about some kind of bizarre playing card… but what is it exactly supposed to mean? What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a tapestry of symbols steeped in personal and cultural memory. The stark geometry suggests a kind of formalized emblem, almost heraldic. The diamond shape, anchored by that central vertical line terminating in what appears to be stylized celestial bodies…It evokes the image of mapping. Think about the Soviet era and imposed constraints. Do you feel a yearning for escape and the boundless possibilities of the cosmos? Editor: That's interesting, mapping as a kind of freedom. So, the geometric patterns and those circular images… they’re more than just decorative? Curator: Precisely! Aksinin, working in the Soviet Union, was acutely aware of how imagery could carry encoded meanings. The rigid geometric structure contrasted with those celestial-like forms suggests the tension between control and the desire for transcendence. Perhaps even alluding to Kabakov's own artistic explorations of the individual within a restrictive system? It asks what parts of ourselves we show or hide, doesn't it? Editor: I never thought about it that way. It really speaks to the period and those layers of meaning that artists had to embed in their work. It makes you wonder about the relationship between Aksinin and Kabakov. Curator: Indeed. It is as if Aksinin presents this symbol as a reflection of that struggle between external structures and internal liberation through the arts, or rather in ode to Kabakov. Both artist have pushed artistic boundaries using what resources that were available to them at the time. Editor: I’ll definitely look at this work differently now, considering the historical context and those layers of hidden meaning. Thank you for opening my eyes. Curator: My pleasure. Every symbol holds a multitude of stories, waiting to be discovered!