‘The
participants of exhibition ‘90s Georgia’ are independent young artists,
gathered to work about the period that is 1990s Georgia. The group of artists
consider themselves connected to given period not only historically but
psychologically and morally’-states the press release for the exhibition 1990s
Georgia. Playing with the predictions of the audience, instead of offering the
names expected, the curators, newcomers to the field- Mariam Tsikaridze and
Mariam Loria focused on the younger generation who during the 1990s were only
kids and could hardly inspect the situation rationally. The exposition varied
between the themes political and highly personal. It is always exciting to see
art that is not aimed at being commercially successful. In a way it was a
promising attempt to rethink and reevaluate the time which most of us took as
unconditional and ordinary. Especially for the younger artists who were
commissioned works specifically for this exposition, it might have been the
first time they were to rummage back into their consciousness.
photo:
Guram Kapanadze
The
preface to the exhibition was the invitation locating it in the once office for
the newspaper ‘Communist’. Indeed this coincidence plays a crucial role in
understanding the exposition dedicated to the 90s when the Communist dream had
culminated and erupted into the violence, poverty and ‘the great confusion’ as
the artist Levan Svanishvili cleverly noted in the title of his art. The space
provided by the Adjarabet free of charge proved to be more effective than many
of the existing galleries in Tbilisi and its rundown appearance did suit the
theme a lot. The random mirrors installed and the accidental self-reflections
reminded of our own indispensable belonging to the 90s presented on the walls.
The
artist Sopho Kobidze, the author of the initial idea, decided to focus on the
building of the hotel Iveria, now Radisson Blu, whose history can easily
narrate the story of the country. Built in Soviet Union to baffle the
foreigners, it was inhabited by the refugees from Abkhazia in the 90s- and the
canvas depicts the hotel adjusted to its permanent guests; some had filled up
the balconies for additional space, with cartons or the blue plastic
wrappings-the aesthetics presented in Sopho’s canvas. More importantly, this
view of Iveria in the city centre was the constant reminder of the Abkhazian
tragedy and the thousands left homeless, a vital chapter in the history of
Georgia.
photo:
Guram Kapanadze
It
was peculiar that the 90s heavy with wars conflicts and the bloodshed only
resurfaced in few works and arguably the best one was the landscape of
the past by Andria Dolidze. The niche at the entrance of the
exhibition was occupied with the army-print paper. So detached and universal
for the conflict zones, it somehow felt personal to our local conflicts;
moreover the niche all papered with the print was the allegory of our
society saturated with the war.
photo:
Guram Kapanadze
Masho
Odishelidze has offered minimalistic sketches of the absolute vitalities of the
time- the lamp, or the oil-stove, the centrepiece of the family life. The lamp
now a glamorous interior accessory, for years was the only reliable source of
light. Now it gazes out of the dark canvas evoking the smell of the kerosene
and the half-poisoned evenings tainted with the compulsory homework. The dark
background of these canvases seems to recall the period of total darkness- the
absence of electricity was so traumatic that even the daylight did not seem
bright enough. Playing on the sentiments of the audience, Masho dared to remind
of our own very intimate and yet shared childhood naivety oblivious to the
gruesome reality. Giorgi Jincharadze actually portrayed the mind games he used
to play, thinking the rails of a heater was the path for packman, or the
Khachapuri was a hybrid joystick. However, this innocent and colourful imagery,
seemingly touching memories reveal the human psyche in despair coping with
omnipresent trauma.
photo:
Guram Kapanadze
photo:
Guram Kapanadze
Guram Shavdia
has presented one of the most petrifying occurrences of the 90s, and the
recurring theme in the exposition- the Mkhedrioni as a pirate- with the iconic
Ray Ban sunglasses, beard, the bullet belt on the shoulder and an automat in
the hand. Even though the iconography is strictly followed, somehow it is a
friendly pirate, rather than a ruthless murderer- so close to the childish
perception- nothing serious enough, nothing bizarre. Shavdia decided to pick up
the key symbols of the 90s youth- such as the Ray Bans, 2pac and the needles
against the grey background to signify the immense depression.
photo:
Guram Kapanadze
The
chubby girl with a Titanic t-shirt - a global event of 90s, lets her head
checked by the abstract mum with tender and exquisite hands. Even though the
procedure, much too familiar to any of us, is not among the most pleasant, her
face expresses the content and naïve happiness of being in the safe and loving
arms. Black mama: ‘In general 90s in Georgia is associated with wars, and lots
of political events- the breakdown of Soviet Union, Abkhazia, Mkhedrioni etc.
But none of them were part of my 90s. My 90s smelt of Kerosene, the film
Terminator, the Ninth Block and the lice’. The Untitled child, indeed not
requiring a title, provoked priceless ovation among the audience as the process
is indispensable from the concept of childhood.
Tamar
Maglaperidze has shown a video We were playing hide and seek. The
accompanied statement by the artist was a nice touch, voicing her sole
intention. Even though the video of a girl in white jumping up and down and
playing was pretty self-explanatory, it brought a nice precedent into the local
art scene, where most of the exhibitions take place without textual
introduction. ‘ The fact that I had the least protest against the events taking
place is also because I was so young. I didn’t see darkness and hopelessness, I
was playing hide and seek’- Tamar talks to us from a wall.
Ilia
Biganashvili has offered the most petrifying and maybe the most realistic
evaluation of the period, and the effect of the 90s on the society in a
painting The Lost Generation. The class VII B posing for a school
photo does not know of the black circles under their eyes, crippled by having
their mentality shaped in the 90s, they do not know playing imaginary pakman
wont save them; they are the lost generation, at the age of 13 they had already
seen so much none of them would have a stable psyche. Ilia Biganashvili: ‘This
is the generation that could not realise themselves. I have taken the
composition from a photo- these are the people I grew up with and I could see
their problems vividly. This is the generation that had the hardest time and
the worst age to be at; this was the age when an individual has to form into
something- to get educated, choose a profession; and these people had to fight
for survival let alone education. People were stabbed in the university gardens
and the students attended lectures with guns. At the moment a person and even
more so a student, is incapable of analysing all of this and it might have
appeared to be normal, but now these people can not find a place for themselves
as they lack the skills necessary for today, so some of them have to learn all
of it now and make up the void or the other half have gotten used to it and is
focused on basic survival.’ Canvases by Nato Bagrationi share the sentiment of
Biganashvili’s but articulate with colour. The quality of her work and evident
signature style made her one of the most memorable names on the exhibition,
also pointing at the lack of both among the other artists; especially the
pencil work, which in comparison to hers seemed like preliminary sketches.
photo:
Guram Kapanadze
The
photo collage of Guram Tsibakhashvili situated the exhibition back to the
actual context of the 90s. The selection of documentary footage of the
protests, poverty, lyrical shots and mostly of the kids recalled the times most
of the artists themselves were young. Someone watching the installation
remarked ‘can you imagine the zoo we were living in?’ the sincerity in the
comment should have been the aim of the exhibition- creating a mix of bizarre
and cute it is all about drawing the conclusions.
Overall
most of the artworks were more personal reminiscences of the childhood- very
subjective and drenched with sentimentality rather than attempting to
critically evaluate the crucial moment in the newest history of Georgia. David
Kukhalashvili’s Geo memory- a triptych depicting the different
states of the now Freedom Square indicated the lack of criticality and direct
referencing of the politics in the art of the rest. The subjective was so prevalent that the title ‘90s Georgia’
seemed like a generalisation a bit too broad. The 90s of the whole
country- the national movement, breakdown of the Soviet Union, the eventual
independence were not present in the exhibition. It was more the 90s of
Tbilisi, rather than of the whole country- so complex, diverse and confusing
the poetic simplifications somehow do not seem appropriate.
photo:
Guram Kapanadze
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