Exhibition «Apocalypse. Reflections»

This group exhibition, featuring the works of Ilia Balavadze, Teona Yamanidze, Jikia Luka, Elene Metreveli, Sopho Mamaladze, Mako Lomadze and Lidia Russkova-Hasaya, seeks to empathetically engage with catastrophes and crises.    Apocalypse.Reflections provides a platform for diverse opinions, conveyed through multiple artistic voices. Ilia Balavadze's characters navigate bamboo plantations, escaping an escalating epidemic, striving to restore order in a fragmented world.Teona Yamanidze’s oil painting series "the playground" and “ the lockdown (temporary shelter)” seeks to accentuate the jarring clash between expected safety, limitations and peril, portraying a vivid tableau of lost innocence and imposed maturity.These “painted memories” are the attempt to bring attention to the plight of the conflict affected people, symbolically using the playground and interior as a metaphor for loss and disrupted peace. Jikia Luka's oil paintings depict Indigenous people overcoming centuries of challenges, intertwining with the notion of Animism. Elene Metreveli's multi-chaptered piece pays homage to Bosch's "Garden of Earthly Delights," drawing inspiration from the artist's intuitive perception of reality. Sopho Mamaladze explores the theme of solitude through reflections on the subconscious. Mako Lomadze's artworks evoke the suspended atmosphere in Lars von Trier's Melancholy, capturing a world on pause, anticipating the Earth's last days. Lidia Russkova-Hasaya’s installation investigates the concept of ‘intermezzo’, as presented by French philosopher Gilles Deleuze, which denotes the possibility of focusing on the present when the past is deceptive and the future unknown. Each artist, with unique perspectives on catastrophes and crises, opens doors to new ways of perceiving the world. History reminds us that civilizations have risen, believed in their invincibility, and ultimately declined. The defining factor, however, lies not in annihilation but in the presumption that we would be among the survivors. At the core of the post-apocalypse lies a delusional and perilous belief in newfound freedom. The question remains: is this assumption truly justified?