“IMPROPER INTERSECTIONS”: A SOLO SHOW BY TAMAR GEDEVANISHVILI IN KARVASLA, 06/08/2022 BY KHATUNA KHABULIANI
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Tamar Gedevanishvili creates a graphics series on paper napkins: sketches modeled with speed and expression. She uses a non-solid matter to depict rapidly decaying moments. They unite fragments that are about to slip away from the person’s memory. The elapsing images of cafés resemble here the same tempo at which the images fall into the horizon of the café visitors. This airiness and ephemerality also characterises Tamar’s extensive and multicoloured painting series. It emerges under the circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic when the abstract reflection on time and the search for meaning became the normality of mass culture. The series focuses precisely on components that cannot turn into mass entertainment, and distances itself from predictable currents. It is the visual material from the period when the painter... Read moreabandons the pandemic routine and does her work: to think with images.
The exhibition “Improper Intersections” will inevitably remind you of the recurring theme of Marcel Proust’s writings: psychological and emotional states of remembering things past. The artist draws utterly subjective and intimate moments from her memory and places them in a different context. In this manner, it seems, she searches for their meaning while inviting the spectator to play a game with their emotional intellect to solve visual puzzles. These moments may not be consciously reflected upon, but are rather the immediate impression characteristic of childlike perception.
These experiences, without yet an articulated meaning, come alive when combined with perhaps completely contrasting phenomena that exist in other strange times; they create, as it were, new realities. The paintings of Tamar Gedevanishvili may also indicate that the least significant personal emotion or even phenomenon is valuable in its own way; and in a new constellation it may reveal its value at its best, acquire full content or even allow the old emotion to wander in a new time and setting.
Already at first glance, the exposition displayed in the central hall for temporary exhibitions at Tbilisi History Museum (Karvasla) demonstrates the unity of Tamar’s graphic and painterly works. It is immediately apparent that the diptychs, the polyptychs and the other compositions form a stream, and the visualisations flow like a river. The characters in the series are more generic than specific. If you take a closer look, however, portrait features also seem to activate, and an uninterrupted compilation of unexpectedly odd stories unfolds before your eyes.
Surrealist allusions appear at first sight on various territories of nude, elastic bodies. They arise, as it were, from visions and are accompanied by their stories or by the scenes built up in their imagination. Time is relative here, space dreamily illusory-transcending the laws of physics and logic. The style of the compositions and the original signature of the painter are determined by the following unity of elements: the weightlessness of elastic nude bodies in a constantly changing specific environment−be it a landscape, a park with fountains and lanterns or a background of industrial architecture. Windows, doors and apertures in general occur frequently in the architectural setting, with a character portrayed and tightly linked to them. There seems to be an aspiration to look beyond or to go beyond.
The nudity of the characters is also of special importance. It is free of material body and weight. The nudity is the state that exclusively exhibits the character’s existential dimension and openness. The dramatic interior of the old building is very impressive, with a person indirectly protruding into it. His whole attention is directed at the ceiling as if there is a fear or an anticipation of disaster−the state of baselessness. The fragment of the several characters in a bar interior set against a red landscape is reminiscent of Nighthawks by Edward Hopper. Read less
Collect Art/Spring Issue
Seasonal Edition
VOL 41
Tbilisi, Georgia, April, 2024
Click here and see Collect Art/Spring Issue, 2024
INTERVIEW WITH TAMAR GEDEVANISHVILI BY TAMAR KHELASHVILI
TAMAR GEDEVANISHVILI / Spring Issue / BY Tamar Khelashvili
Tamar Gedevanishvili is an artist from Tbilisi, Georgia. Throughout her illustrious career, Tamar has showcased her works in numerous exhibitions, marking her presence in the global art scene. Her debut solo exhibition in 1987 at the Merani Publishing House laid the foundation for her future endeavors, setting the stage for a prolific artistic journey.
In 2021, Tamar embarked on a new chapter as an educator, assuming the role of associate professor at GIPA, Specializing in "Drawing," visual communication / advertising, and... Read morecommunication design.
Tamar's artistic prowess reached new heights with her solo exhibition titled "Improper Intersections" at the Museum of History, Karvasla, in June 2022. Curated by Lika Mamatsashvili, the exhibition showcased a captivating collection of acrylic paintings and graphic works, captivating audiences with its thought-provoking themes and innovative techniques.
Driven by a sense of solidarity and social responsibility, Tamar actively participated in the "Free City" project in 2023, a collaborative effort by Georgian artists in support of the Ukrainian people. Her art transcended boundaries and served as a powerful expression of unity and compassion.
amar's contributions to the art world were further highlighted in group exhibitions such as "Our Times," organized by the Kettari Foundation, and "Holiday / Fiesta" at n9Gallery. Her works from the "Improper Intersections" series, characterized by their paper and acrylic compositions, captivated audiences with their compelling narratives and exquisite craftsmanship. As Tamar continues to push the boundaries of artistic expression, her impact on the contemporary art scene reverberates far and wide, leaving an indelible mark on the canvases. Read less