Tamara Kvesitadze – Red

Tamara Kvesitadze (b. 1968) counts among the most important Georgian artists of the present day. After her work was shown in a group exhibition at the Georgian Pavilion at the 2007 Venice Biennale, she had the honour of representing Georgia with a highly successful solo exhibition at the 2011 Biennale.

Tamara Kvesitadze’s work includes kinetic sculptures and paintings, in which the human being plays an essential role. The tension in the relationship between genders is a central focus of her oeuvre. Its roots lie in antiquity and mythology as well as in Surrealism.

Violence and sexuality are intertwined; faces, masks and fragmented bodies symbolise the internal conflict of modern individuals—their emotions, their striving for happiness and fulfilment, their fears and hopes. Questions of individuality are raised, and the relationships between the individual and society and fellow human beings are examined.

Movement is a defining feature of Tamara Kvesitadze’s sculptures. During the 1980s she studied architecture at the Georgian Technical University in Tbilisi and soon began creating works that successfully combined art and construction. However, her primary concern was never merely the representation of movement through the means of contemporary sculpture. Rather, Kvesitadze engages with movement in a far more comprehensive sense.

“I was always interested in Greek philosophy and especially the aphorisms of Heraclitus,” the artist explains. “According to him, everything is in flux and one can never step into the same river twice, as it is in constant motion. Given that sculpture is not typically associated with movement, I became increasingly interested in experimenting with this idea in my practice.”

The artist lives and works in Tbilisi (Georgia).
The exhibition “Red” marks the first presentation of her work in Germany.

Technical realisation: Paata Sanaia