Contemporary Georgian Sculptor’s Works Displayed on Google Arts & Culture
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
In a modern world without boundaries, art has acquired new shapes and forms. The fact that fantasy and human creativity has no limit is once again confirmed by the thrilling works of contemporary Georgian artist Tamara Kvesitadze. The artist, whose name has gone beyond Georgia’s borders, now appears on the largest online database of Google Arts and Culture, which is a huge virtual association that incorporates the artworks of world-celebrated artists from around the world. Now, most of her works are easy to enjoy, allowing you a deeper insight into Tamar’s masterpieces without needing to visit a gallery.
Her interest in making dolls started from early childhood when the 8-year-old artist found an old doll in her grandma’s drawer. In the 1990s, during the times of hardship in Georgia, the painter with an architectural background started making dolls to earn a living. Later, she moved to the USA where she took the craft to a new level, eventually achieving success. Today, her masterpiece of moving sculpture named Man and Woman in Georgia’s Batumi city serves as a symbol of the seaside region, annually impressing millions of tourists and locals alike.
GEORGIA TODAY talked to Tamara Kvesitadze about her latest success.
“I did not expect my artworks to appear on Google Arts and Culture. It was really unexpected news and I’m very pleased that my art is being showcased on this prestigious platform. I was contacted by the Art Palace museum in Tbilisi and asked to send high resolution photos depicting my art. I was surprised that so many images of my art were selected and displayed. All my creations are captured by different photographers and are available in high-resolution on the platform, offering visitors the chance to have a detailed look at each work,” the artist told GEORGIA TODAY.
The Art Palace is the only partner of Google Arts and Culture in Georgia that cooperates with the platform, and it plays significant role in promoting Georgian art internationally. In 2016, the works of 20th century Georgian modernist stage painter Petre Otskheli were exposed on the platform. Tamara is the first contemporary Georgian artist to be featured in this virtual gallery.
The architect, sculptor and painter is predominantly known for her mechanical dolls and kinetic sculptures virtuously combining art and construction.
“I use various tools and techniques to embody my ideas. Mechanics is one of the techniques through which I bring my art to life,” she said. “I can’t say exactly where I draw my inspiration from, since anything can serve as a source to one’s imagination. It all started 20 years ago. For some years I worked and made dolls in the USA, then, after doing it for six years, I decided to shift to making sculptures. At the time, I didn’t realize how difficult it was to assemble the whole construction and make it move and so I work with Paata Sanaia, a technical engineer and the co-author of my artworks. I’m responsible for the artistic part, while he manages the technical side.”
The artist has taken part in a number of exhibitions in many prestigious venues in different countries. Her latest most notable ones were at the Venice Biennial 2017 and the exhibition called Last Supper at Galerie Kornfeld in Berlin. “The gallery I cooperate with organized the exhibition called Supper Club. My two installations ‘Last Supper’ and ‘Caves’ were presented at the venue. Last Supper evolves around a biblical theme, with plates and dishes hung on transparent and extremely thin wires, creating the illusion that they are floating mid-air. The dishes have thin material attached to imitate shadows, giving the entire composition a 3D effect,” the sculptor noted.
Tamara works in several studious throughout Europe, yet her main fundamental workshop is located in Tbilisi. Her next exhibition will take place in Berlin in September. Although she wants to showcase her works to the wider audience in Tbilisi, currently she is extremely busy and finds it impossible to gather all her works in one place. The renowned painter also hopes to hold a grand exhibition in the near future, but prefers to leave the place and time a secret for now.
On her well-loved Batumi mechanical sculpture, Man and Woman, the artist says: “People mostly associate it with love, so it stirs positive emotions within viewers. Anyone can interpret this monument as he/she prefers, yet the main message that my work conveys is that being together is possible for only a little time. This short period for someone might mean a whole century. This is the simple idea behind the sculpture.”
Lika Chigladze