"Zugzwang"
The first piece by Zain Jaxicus
Born of desperation, begrudgingly best defined by a chess term.
"In chess, there’s a position called zugzwang, like being forced to hurt yourself. Being put in zugzwang means a player is obliged to move even though moving means losing a piece. If the player didn’t have to move, the situation wouldn’t be so dire. It always takes place at the endgame; it’s a position that seals the truth, which is that losing is inevitable."
Zoé Valdés, The Weeping Woman, 2016
"The Compulsion to Move"
This painting represents the crux of my style. Though not the first piece to come from a bout of potentially perceived insanity, it was the first wherein my conscience didn't just take a back seat but essentially passed out.
This piece served as another installment in what I affectionately call 'messages from my pen pal.' Because, as hard as I try, even I can't explain its origins in completeness. But I do know it was born from a knowledgeable degree of hopelessness, and it was the first piece to come from postponing action to allow myself a blissful moment of pure reaction.
Born of desperation and begrudgingly best defined by a chess term.
Driven by a combined feeling of absolute necessity and deep despair - hence the namesake - I felt powerless but restless. I was horrified by the prospects of yet another situation where both action and inaction had terrible consequences. Essentially a quintessential part of womanhood.
