Haiden Kohl's Transfer

Hanging in the Nightingale Gallery is a work from ink and charcoal by EOU senior, Haiden Kohl entitled Transfer. This work of extreme chiaroscuro is a pair of hands, not showing more than just above the wrist, reaching toward each other against a stark void of layered black ink. The use of charcoal on the hands emits a rough, yet organic and linear sense to the density of the flesh and the wrinkles in the skin. There is a surreal sense to the hands, as the palms appear illuminated in a way that appears illogical for any real-world light source, as if the palms are emitting the light. The hand on the right, palm down and fingers tense, almost appears to reach further to the other hand, desirous or even desperate to grasp it. Where the hand on the left of the canvas is palm upward, outstretched, perhaps offering itself to the other.

To the viewer, this work is not only well balanced in that there is equal positive and negative space on each sides of the canvas, but also that the calming yet eager emotions from the hands stand out from the empty, intimidating, and dominantly gloomy vacuum. Perhaps the title Transfer gives us insight to the meaning of the piece. Does the persona on the right seek relief from the burdens or fears exemplified by the black, transferring those emotions to the other willing hand? Does the extreme chiaroscuro, the emanating white in the palms, suggest a symbol of energy or power within?

Haiden Kohl’s Transfer is a powerful work. Its bold contrast hints allusions to relief from anxiety, or perhaps indicating a possibility of redemption from darkness.