Painting after Wall Painting is a cross-generational dialogue around Georgian Christian Orthodox wall-painting tradition and its influence nowadays. The exhibition includes a historical work, such as ‘Annunciation’, 1985 by Levan Chogoshvili as an intorduction welcoming the viewer on the first wall of the exhibition space. Christian Orthodox Wall-painting tradition has stood as the main anchor for artistic communities in the search of a cultural identity during the USSR and thus comprised a strong political meaning. Yet, the tradition keeps on influencing artistic practices nowadays, creating a rich landscape of contemporary art.

Rethinking of Georgian wall-painting tradition has played an important role in Nina Kintsurashvili’s practice, where she overlooks the tradition through a post-colonial lens, asking questions around methods of erasure of memory by Russian Tsarist Empire tracing history through the literal layers of paint, and the layers of violence. Christian Orthodox traditions, as a common knowledge, identity and a cultural code can be traced thought-out the works by younger generation of artists exhibited. Dominating color scheme of blue and violet speak of influences carried from the once Devine color Lazhvardi, often used in the medieval frescoes.
The exhibition is an open question, rather than a statement, asking how, if relevant, does the Georgian Medieval visual culture exist within the contemporary art practices of Georgia nowadays and how can we approach it?

- Nino Panchulidze & Elene Abashidze

Selected Press:

Hammock Magazine