Alevtina Kakhidze. From the series The Most Commercial Project, 2004–2011. Drawing

Series description

This series of drawings and individual performances by Alevtina Kakhidze, which she carried out alongside the drawings, existed under various titles, including The Most Commercial Project, Consumer Culture, and others. Kakhidze began working on the project in 2004—while studying in the master’s program at the Jan van Eyck Academie in Maastricht, the Netherlands—and in 2005 presented it as her graduation work in the window display of the art institution Schunck, located in a former department store building. In this series, the artist depicted branded clothing items, vintage furniture, and any other objects she liked but, unfortunately, could not afford due to their high price. Each drawing was sold at a price identical to that of the depicted item—this way, the artist could make the objects accessible and, if she wished, purchase them after selling her work. As a result, drawings from the same series could be sold for amounts ranging from a few cents to tens of thousands of euros or other local currencies—hryvnias, Swedish kronor, etc.—depending on where Kakhidze was presenting the works.