Untitled 2022

Curator: This 2022 ink and textile drawing on paper is by Alevtyna Kakhidze, and she has titled it "Untitled". Editor: It's disarmingly simple, isn't it? Raw even. The shaky lines and handwritten text create an immediacy that speaks to vulnerability and loss. There is something so poignant about this, its stripped back nature, contrasting sharply with the weight of the themes suggested. Curator: It resonates deeply because it emerged during a period of intense socio-political turmoil. Knowing Kakhidze's work, the context is crucial. We can interpret it as a powerful response to the ongoing war and the heartbreaking cultural losses it signifies. This sketch presents two forms – each distinctly heart-shaped but so different in rendering and meaning, as separated by war. The drawing gives voice to feelings about Ukrainian identity within conflict. Editor: Yes, absolutely. Look at the contrast; one heart brimming with warmth from the red crayon markings sits at the edge of the horizontal grounding line; but further along is the figure towering and stoic: the lines seem more formalised. I notice the title is intentionally absent which further underscores the universal grief that anyone, from anywhere, may attach to loss. Do you think it also speaks to displacement? Curator: Undoubtedly. Kakhidze often focuses on borders, identity, and the experience of those living in conflict zones. I see that translated into the hearts—Ukraine a radiant warmth and Empire its hollowed core. Her choice of medium here too adds another layer, particularly the use of textiles, something that inherently embodies ideas about refuge and comfort but, equally, displacement. It's a complex blend of personal and political anxieties rendered with what looks like a hastily applied stroke, straight from the heart of personal conflict and emotion. Editor: The drawing prompts us to question whose voices are typically elevated in historical narratives surrounding conflict. What about those that exist on the fringes? What impact did this event have on the individual, rather than the empire? I find myself appreciating the space it creates for processing on an intimate scale, its seeming amateur-like execution encouraging a certain accessibility for the observer, no matter their circumstances. Curator: The artwork serves as a reminder that art possesses an extraordinary power to respond, to communicate, and critically, to resist amidst incredibly troubling global political crises, with Kakhidze highlighting the human impact, even trauma, through something seemingly simple: an image. Editor: Precisely. By using minimalist form Kakhidze’s composition powerfully brings themes of dispossession and disruption into public focus, triggering broader societal reflection on their costs.