Exlibris Stanislawa D. 1976

This little print, "Exlibris Stanislawa D.," was made in 1976 by Oleksandr Aksinin, and it’s like stepping into a room of someone’s mind. The whole scene is rendered in these delicate, repetitive brown lines, almost like a machine made it, but of course, a person did. I like to imagine Aksinin bent over his plate, carefully etching each tiny line, building up this odd interior space. It’s so formal, with the coat racks standing guard on either side, and yet, there’s something unsettling about it. What was Aksinin thinking? Was he interested in how we create our own spaces through repetition and perspective? I’m reminded a little of Piranesi and his etchings of imaginary prisons. The whole thing is so precise but strange, like a dream you can’t quite shake.