Women In The Zone, Aquarelle, chalk pastel, latex primer, matte fixative on lamb skin

Aleksander Hardashnakov is an artist who utilizes forms and figures that borrow image-making tropes from cubism and surrealism, while at other times inventing an entirely new visual language. The artist’s works encompasses, drawing and painting, as well as sculptural installation.

Desperate, oil and gesso on canvas

I enjoy the fragmented style of Hardashnakov’s images. Though his works tend toward abstraction, the artist has a clear skill for figurative drawing and painting, often layering recognizable images – human, animal, and object – in compositions that render these figures difficult to recognize. The pale, sometimes earthy, often homogenous colour palettes that Hardashnakov utilizes serve to further mute the appearance of these figures. Other times, the artist deliberately leaves them unfinished or cut in half.

In a gallery space, the disparity and parallels between different works come into sharp focus. The artist’s portfolio functions less as a cohesive whole and more as a collection of separate artefacts, with a certain conceptual thread linking them loosely together.

No Hands, coloured pencil, oil and acrylic on linen