Exlibris of Nina Bichuya 1975

Oleksandr Aksinin made this Exlibris of Nina Bichuya, we don’t know exactly when, but it’s an etching, a printmaking process with a real hands-on feel. The surface of the print is a dense network of tiny lines that create an image full of bizarre surreal shapes, cherubic faces, hourglasses, clocks, books and hands that feels like a fever dream. Look closely at how the lines are laid down to create all the tonality, they feel like they’ve been scratched into the plate with real intent. See how the artist carves out the negative space, how the ink clings to the textured surface giving it a tactile quality? Aksinin reminds me a little bit of Alfred Kubin, or even Kiki Smith, in the way he embraces the strange and uncanny. In the end, this print isn’t about answers, it’s about questions, about the mystery of time, of memory, and about embracing the ambiguity of existence.